1815-20; earlier den, in same sense, Middle English (in phrase den and strond); perhaps to be identified with Middle Englishdene,Old Englishdenu, dænu valley
Examples from the web for dene
They were historically located at little duck lake, and known as the duck lake dene.
British Dictionary definitions for dene
dene1
/diːn/
noun
1.
(Brit) a valley, esp one that is narrow and wooded
Word Origin
Old English denu valley; see den
dene2
/diːn/
noun
1.
(dialect, mainly Southern English) a sandy stretch of land or dune near the sea
Word Origin
C13: probably related to Old English dūn hill; see down³
Dene
/ˈdɛnɪ; ˈdɛneɪ/
plural noun
1.
the North American Indian peoples of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories in Canada. The official body representing them is called the Dene Nation
Word Origin
via French déné, from Athapascan dene people
Word Origin and History for dene
n.
"small valley," from Old English denu "valley" (see den).
"bare, sandy tract by the sea," late 13c., of uncertain origin, perhaps connected to dune, but the sense difference is difficult.