# thirl

> English word · Noun · IPA /θɝl/

## Definitions
1. A hole, an aperture, especially a nostril.
2. A low door in a dry-stone wall to allow sheep to pass through; a smoot.
3. A short communication between adits in a mine.
4. A long adit in a coalpit.

## Etymology
From Middle English thirl, thiril, from Old English þyrel (“hole”), from Proto-West Germanic *þurhil, from Proto-Germanic *þurhilą (“hole, opening”), from Proto-Indo-European *tr̥h₂kʷelo- which is *tr̥h₂kʷe + *-lo, from *terh₂-. Related to thrill, drill. By surface analysis, through + -le.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/thirl