THE FIRST WORD

arroyo

PRONUNCIATION:

(uh-ROI-oh) 

MEANING:

noun: A narrow, steep-sided watercourse, usually dry except after rain.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Spanish arroyo, from Latin arrugia (mine shaft). Earliest documented use: 1845.

USAGE:

"A wooden bridge took us across an arroyo and into a grassy area."
Gene Sager; In Touch With Nature; Natural Life (Toronto, Canada); Jan/Feb 2014.