Drillhole

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An opening that is formed through the use of a drilling instrument in materials such as rock or metal
2. A cylindrical cavity resulting from the process of drilling, often utilized in industrial or geological applications
3. A cylindrical gap created when a drill penetrates a surface such as rock or metal

Etymology: Drillhole is a plain compound of "drill" and "hole," with no dramatic backstory to tell. "Drill" entered English in the 1600s, borrowed from Dutch "dril" (related to "drillen," to bore or turn), and it originally referred to a tool for boring holes, especially in agriculture and mining. "Hole" is an inherited Old English word, "hol," meaning a hollow or cavity. The compound is transparent in meaning: a drillhole is simply a hole made by a drill, a sense that developed as drilling became central to mining, oil extraction and geological sampling. Because the word describes its own making, it has changed little from its literal sense, and its usage has stayed close to the tool that produces it.

Synonyms: borehole, hole, cavity, aperture, opening