Rhyne

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Rhyne (Somerset) or Reen (South Wales), from Welsh rhewyn or rhewin, meaning a ditch.

A drainage ditch or canal, used to turn areas of wetland at around sea level into useful pasture. Water levels (and hence the level of the water table) will usually be controlled by a system of sluice gates and pumps, allowing the land to become wetter at times of the year when this will improve grass growth. Rhynes represent an early method of swamp or marsh drainage. Large sections of swampland were completely surrounded by trenches deep enough to drain the water from the encircled mound and leave the land relatively dry. Regular clearing and dredging is necessary to keep the rhynes clear of debris so that they flow freely.

Rhynes have been used extensively in the United Kingdom, especially on marshy coastal areas such as the Somerset Levels, and many of them are still in use today. The rhynes near Wembdon village have some early references, including Fichet's rhyne in 1579 and the Great or Wildmarsh rhyne in 1705 ¹.

Both words have the same pronunciation, which is "reen" in most variants of English: (IPA: /riːn/)

Some sources claim that rhyne is derived from the Irish word rathin, a diminutive of rath —a circular mound or entrenchment. ^{2 3}