gill 1
(gĭl)
(gĭl)n.
1. Zoology The respiratory organ of most aquatic animals that obn oxygen from water, consisting of a filamentous structure of vascular membranes across which dissolved gases are exchanged.
2.
a. oftengillsThe wattle of a bird.
b. gillsInformal The area around the chin and neck.
3. Botany One of the thin, platelike structures on the underside of the cap of a mushroom or similar fungus.
v.gilled, gill·ing, gills
v.tr.
1. To catch (fish) in a gill net.
2. To gut or clean (fish).
v.intr.
Idiom: To become entangled in a gill net. Used of fish.
to the gillsInformal
As full as possible; completely.
[Middle Englishgile, of Scandinavian origin.]
gilledadj.
gill1A fish breathes by swallowing water and passing it through gill slits on each side of its head. Blood-filled filaments on the gills extract oxygen from the water as it flows through.