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DictionaryarroyoDry stream channel
noun

arroyo

uh-ROY-oh/əˈrɔɪəʊ/

A usually dry stream channel in an arid region.

The dry arroyo winds between eroded banks, its sandy bottom scattered with stones.

A winding, completely dry streambed cuts through arid ground, with steep eroded banks, exposed sediment layers, and water-rounded stones along its sandy bottom.
Etymology
arroyoSpanishrivulet, small stream

Spanish arroyo means “small stream.” The selected English sense shifts attention from the flowing water to its channel, which can remain recognizable as a streambed even when dry.

In context

Red Earth Stories18:25
… The anatomy of a dry riverbed, or arroyo, was a distinct and complex science of survival.
How Apaches Found Water In The Desert Within Hours

More examples

  • The trail crosses a sandy arroyo.
  • Shrubs grow along the edges of several arroyos.
  • The old bridge spans the arroyo outside town.

Forms

arroyo · arroyos

Similar words

wash
A common regional term for a normally dry stream channel.
gully
A channel cut by runoff, not necessarily in an arid region.