Meaning
A breathing organ of fish and other aquatic animals.
Etymology
Origin: Old English
From Middle English gille, gylle (“gill”), of North Germanic origin, akin to Danish gælle, Swedish gäl, Norwegian gjelle, and further to Old Norse gjǫlnar (“lips”), which also may have had the meaning of "gills" (based on Old Danish fiskegæln (“gills”)). The Old Norse word has been suggested as deriving from Proto-Germanic *gelunō (“jaw”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰel-, which would make it root-cognate to Ancient Greek χελύνη (khelúnē, “lip, jaw”), χεῖλος (kheîlos, “lip”). Displaced native Old English ċīe.
Synonyms & Antonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 36 recorded puzzles:
- 2026-09-23IDGLNYZ
- 2026-07-08GILRTUY
- 2026-06-21GILORVY
- 2026-05-10LODNGFI
- 2026-05-04LFTHGIY
- 2026-04-11LDIGEHT
- 2026-02-22LGIKNRU
- 2026-01-27IAGHLNU
- 2025-12-30IPDOGEL
- 2025-12-10GYATIEL
- 2025-12-07LTGRIHN
- 2025-10-06LABGINZ
+24 earlier appearances in the archive.