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ruelle

alley, lane

noun rü-EL Rare
Travel & Places Directions

Origin: diminutive of 'rue' (street), from Latin 'ruga' (wrinkle, furrow)

Usage Note

Ruelle is the diminutive of rue and refers to a narrow street or alley, typically between houses. Historically it also referred to the space between a bed and the wall in aristocratic bedrooms, where ladies held intimate literary gatherings (tenir une ruelle) in 17th-century France — a precursor to the salon.

Examples

"Ils se sont perdus dans une ruelle sombre."

Natural Translation

They got lost in a dark alley.

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