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dimpling

Adjective
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

Forming small, gentle ripples or indentations; describes shimmering water, smiling faces, or delicate movement in nature poetry.

Detailed Definition
In older poetic usage, this describes water or another surface marked by tiny ripples or hollows. Blake uses it for the stream to make the scene feel lively and animated.
Example
Example in poetry:
“And the dimpling stream runs laughing by” (Milton, L’Allegro); “The dimpling water” (visual texture in pastoral verse); “A dimpling pool held broken clouds” (contemporary-style image); “The brook laughs as it folds around the stones” (related personification)
Additional Notes
In the line quoted, "dimpling" is a less common descriptive adjective than everyday words like green or sweet.; Found in the poem, Laughing Song by William Blake
Also Known As
rippling undulating
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