noun / adjective / verb
shoal
SHOHL/ʃəʊl/
A place where the water is not deep.
The sandy shoal rises close to the surface between areas of deeper water.
Etymology
Old English sceald meant “shallow”: a description of depth became a name for a place where the water is shallow.
In context
The vessel ran aground at the Meloria, a dangerous shoal outside Leghorn, and through the stupidity of her captain was very nearly lost.
More examples
- At low tide, the shoals are easy to spot.
- Large boats cannot safely cross this stretch of shoal water.
- Sediment builds up, and the channel gradually shoals.
Forms
shoal · shoals · shoaled · shoaling · shoaler · shoalest
Similar words
- shallows
- Usually describes a broad shallow area rather than one spot.
- sandbar
- Specifies a ridge of sand that may create shallow water.