From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishrunnelrun‧nel /ˈrʌnl/ noun [countable] a small stream or passage that water flows along
Examples from the Corpus
runnel• Most law-abiding citizens obeyed it but not so the denizens of the slums, stinking alleys and runnels of Edinburgh.• Even though it was still daylight, the alleyways and runnels were dark, closed off by the houses built on either side.• Mr Hellyer was digging with extraordinary vigour, the sweat streamed in runnels down his dark, rather engagingly wrinkled face.• This leads to the formation of a ridge behind which a trough or runnel is produced.• If these were the alleyways of Paris or the runnels of London I could hide or strike back.• Fresh sweat mixed with the runnels of shower water. 