I. ˈsha(ˌ)lō, -_lə; -_ləw, -_lō+V adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English schalowe; probably akin to Old English sceald shallow, Greek skellein to dry up — more at skeleton
1.
a. : having little depth : not deep
shallow water
a shallow dish
shallow wells
a shallow grave
shallow valleys
b. of soil : forming a thin layer over rock
c. : departing from the horizontal by only a few degrees — used of an airplane dive, glide, or climb
2.
a. : having little extension inward or backward
the broad flight of shallow steps — Charles Dickens
office buildings have taken the form of shallow slabs — Lewis Mumford
a shallow bridgehead had been established — P.W.Thompson
b. of a lens : slightly convex or concave
3.
a. : not penetrating farther than the easily or quickly apprehended : markedly obvious or apparent
will not bare my soul to their shallow prying eyes — Oscar Wilde
his short book is repetitious, untidy in form, shallow in characterization — Charles Lee
offhand sayings, flippant judgments, and shallow generalizations — J.H.Newman
b. : lacking in depth of knowledge, thought, or feeling : superficial
the general rule that specialists must be narrow and generalists shallow — W.B.Fagg
a shallow demagogue who incited the mob — V.L.Parrington
4. of musical tone : lacking resonance : thin
5. of breathing : displacing comparatively little air : weak
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
: to make shallow
the slow current of the silt-laden water shallowed the canal — E.L.Sabin
intransitive verb
: to become shallow
the creek gully shallowed and widened — H.L.Davis
III. noun
( -s )
1. : a shallow place or area in a body of water — usually used in plural but sometimes sing. in constr.
wading in the rocky shallows of the river — Marcia Davenport
the sloop … skimming a clear glass-green shallows — Nelson Hayes
2. : a low-crowned hat worn by men in the late 18th and early 19th centuries
3. Britain : a basket, tray, or cart used by street peddlers
IV. adverb
: to or at a slight depth