A glen is a

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a

ravine A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion.strath A strath is a large valley, typically a river valley that is wide and shallow (as opposed to a glen, which is typically narrower and deep). Word and etymology An anglicisation of the Gaelic word ''srath'', it is one of many that have been abs ...

".. The word is

Goidelic The Goidelic or Gaelic languages ( ga, teangacha Gaelacha; gd, cànanan Goidhealach; gv, çhengaghyn Gaelgagh) form one of the two groups of Insular Celtic languages, the other being the Brittonic languages. Goidelic languages historically ...

in origin: ''gleann'' in Irish language, Irish and Scottish Gaelic, ''glion'' in Manx language, Manx. The designation "glen" also occurs often in place names.

Etymology

Robert's Glen, circa 1877 - DPLA - ca6d90442a3574b7551b029c31a71c84

The word is

in origin: ''gleann'' in Irish language, Irish and Scottish Gaelic, ''glion'' in Manx language, Manx. In Manx, ''glan'' is also to be found meaning glen. It is cognate with Welsh language, Welsh ''glyn''. Examples in Northern England, such as Glenridding, Westmorland, or Glendue, near Haltwhistle, Northumberland, are thought to derive from the aforementioned Cumbric cognate, or another Brittonic languages, Brythonic equivalent. This likely underlies some examples in Scottish Lowlands, Southern Scotland. As the name of a river, it is thought to derive from the Irish word ''glan'' meaning clean, or the Welsh word ''gleindid'' meaning purity. An example is the Glens of Antrim in Northern Ireland where nine glens radiate out from the Antrim plateau to the sea along the coast between Ballycastle, County Antrim, Ballycastle and Larne.

Places

The designation "glen" also occurs often in place names such as Great Glen and Glenrothes in Scotland; Glendalough, Glenswilly GAA, Glenswilly, Glen of Aherlow, Glen of Imaal and the Glens of Antrim in Ireland; Glen Norman, Ontario, Glenn Norman in Canada; Glendale, California, Glendale, Glen Ellen and Klamath Glen in California, Glenview, Illinois, Glenview in Illinois, and Glenrock, Wyoming, Glenrock in Wyoming; Glenview, Queensland, Glenview, Glen Waverley, Glen Eira, Glengowrie, South Australia, Glengowrie, Glen Huntly, Victoria, Glen Huntly and Glen Forrest, Western Australia, Glen Forrest in Australia; and Glendowie, Glen Eden, New Zealand, Glen Eden and Glen Innes, New Zealand, Glen Innes in New Zealand. In the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York State, the southern ends of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake in particular are etched with glens, although in this region the term "glen" refers most frequently to a narrow Canyon, gorge, as opposed to a wider

or strath. The steep hills surrounding these lakes are filled with loose shale from glacial moraines. This material has eroded over the past 10,000 years to produce rocky glens (e.g., Watkins Glen State Park, Watkins Glen, Fillmore Glen State Park and Treman State Parks) and waterfalls (e.g., Taughannock Falls State Park, Taughannock Falls) as rainwater has flowed down toward the lakes below.

References

{{Rivers, streams and springs Glens, Landforms Slope landforms Valleys

Etymology

Places

See also

References