DOWN, an expanse of high rolling ground destitute of trees; occasionally used for a smooth rounded hill. The system of chalk hills in England is known as "The Downs" (see DowNs). The usual English word "dune" is taken directly from the French. Low sandy tracts north and south of Yarmouth, Norfolk, are known as the "Dunes." The adverb "down," meaning, from above, had an earlier form "adown," i.e., off the hill.