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dimples

Noun
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Small indentations in the skin, especially cheeks; in poetry, a detail that conveys youth, charm, or beauty, often associated with a character's gentle or playful nature.

Detailed Definition
A dimple is a small natural hollow, often in a cheek or chin. In this poem, the word helps personify the water as if it has a smiling face.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Smiling returns into the creek, / With thousand dimples on her cheek” (Emerson, “The Rhodora”); “Dimples in the stream” (water metaphor); “Her dimples flashed like commas in a smile” (contemporary simile); “The rain made dimples in the pond” (personifying landscape)
Additional Notes
Although common in modern English, the poetic use in "With thousand dimples on her cheek" may still prompt some readers to pause.; Found in the poem, To My Mistress Sitting by a River’s Side by Thomas Carew
Also Known As
smiles indentations facial dimples cheek hollows
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