Vale is a term used to describe a variety of geographical features, including valleys, hollows, dales, denes, glens, dells, tempes, and farewells. Valleys are long, narrow depressions in the land, usually formed by rivers or streams. Hollows are low-lying areas surrounded by higher ground. Dales are open valleys with gently sloping sides, while denes are narrow, steep-sided valleys. Glens are narrow, secluded valleys, and dells are small, wooded valleys. Tempes are flat-bottomed valleys between mountains, and farewells are valleys that end in a cliff. Oftears is an archaic term for a VALLEY, derived from the Old English word for VALLEY.