ABSP - Earth: Water

Earth: Water

Words

Landscape & Landforms

abysm abyss	the deepest part of the ocean.
abyssal	relating to a large area of extremely flat ocean floor lying near a continent and generally over 4 km in depth.
anabranch	a stream that leaves a river and re-enters lower down > ANABRANCHES.
aphotic	lightless, esp as designating that part of the ocean not reached by sunlight.
aquafer aquifer	an underground reservoir of water which can be extracted for surface use.
aquatic	related to water; (noun) an organism living or growing in or near water > AQUATICS.
artesian	of a type of well in which water rises in a borehole by hydrostatic pressure from a basin whose outcrop is at a higher level.
backrush	the seaward return of water from a wave.
backwash	a receding wave.
backwater	any quiet or unfrequented stretch of water.
ballicatter	in Newfoundland, ice that forms along a shore from waves and freezing spray.
barachois	a shallow lagoon formed by a sandbar > BARACHOIS.
basinal	relating to a basin.
bathyal	pertaining to the zone of the sea from 600 feet down to the abyssal zone.
bathypelagic	of, relating to, or living in the depths of the ocean, especially between about 600 and 3,000 meters (2,000 and 10,000 feet).
beck	a brook, a stream; (verb) to beckon > BECKS, BECKING, BECKED.
benthal benthic	relating to the deepest zone or region of the ocean.
benthon benthos	the flora and fauna of the ocean floor.
bight	1. a bend in a coastline; also the body of water along such a curve; (verb) to fasten with a loop of rope > BIGHTS, BIGHTING, BIGHTED.
billabong	a dead-end channel; a stagnant backwater.
bogan	a quiet tributary or backwater. [Algonquin].
bourn bourne	a small stream.
briming	phosphorence of the sea. N.B. no BRIME*.
briny	like brine > BRINIER, BRINIEST; (noun) the sea > BRINIES.
brook	a stream; (verb) to tolerate > BROOKS, BROOKING, BROOKED.
brooklet	a small brook.
brooklike	like a BROOK.
burn	(Scots) a stream, a brook.
burnie	(Scots) a small brook.
burnside	the side of a burn (stream).
cascade	a waterfall; (verb) to fall like a waterfall > CASCADES, CASCADING, CASCADED.
cataract	a waterfall.
channel	a strait or narrow sea; a navigable passage through a body of water; (verb) to make or direct through a channel > CHANNELS, CHANNELING or CHANNELLING, CHANNELED or CHANNELLED.
chresard	the total quantity of water in the soil available to plants > CHRESARDS. Cf. HOLARD, ECHARD.
cotidal	having high tide at the same time.
cowal	a shallow lake or swamp.
creek	a watercourse smaller than a river.
creeky	containing, or abounding in, creeks > CREEKIER, CREEKIEST.
culch cultch	the flooring of an oyster-bed.
decuman	a great wave, as every tenth wave was supposed to be.
deepwater	relating to the deep sea.
disembogue	to discharge or pour forth from the mouth (as from a river.
distributary	a branch of river that flows away from the main stream.
ditchwater	water found in a ditch.
ea	river.
eager	(noun) a river bore > EAGERS; (adj.) zealous > EAGERER, EAGEREST; EAGERLY.
eagre eger	an EAGER, a bore or sudden rise of the tide.
embogue	of a river, to discharge. Same as DISEMBOGUE.
epeiric	within the continental shelf.
epicontinental	denoting a shallow sea that forms over a continental shelf.
epilimnion	the upper, warm layer of water in a lake > EPILIMNIONS or EPILIMNIA.
estuarial estuarian estuarine	of or relating to an ESTUARY.
estuary	the wide end of a river when it meets the sea.
euphotic	pertaining to the upper layer of a body of water.
euripus	an arm of the sea with strong currents, spec. that between Euboea and Boeotia in classical Greece > EURIPI or EURIPUSES.
eustacy eustasy	a uniform global change in sea level.
fishpond	a pond abounding in edible fish.
floodmark	the mark or line to which a flood or tide has risen.
floodtide	the flowing in of the tide.
flote	a wave.
fluvial fluviatic fluviatile	belonging or relating to rivers or streams.
fount	a fountain, a spring.
fountain	a spring of water; (verb) to spring up or gush, as from a fountain > FOUNTAINS, FOUNTAINING, FOUNTAINED.
fountful	full of springs.
freshet	a sudden overflow of a stream; fresh water stream meeting salt water.
freshwater	fresh water, not salt.
gnamma namma	as in gnamma hole, an Australian term for a natural well in rock.
growler	an iceberg.
gulf gulph	a large indentation in the coast, the area of sea enclosed by it.
gulfy	full of whirlpools or gulfs.
gurge	a whirlpool; (verb) to swirl > GURGES, GURGING, GURGED.
hadal	of, relating to or being parts of the ocean below 6000 meters, below ABYSSAL.
haff	a lagoon separated from sea by a long sand-bar. [Ger. Haff, bay].
halocline	a vertical gradient in ocean salinity.
headstream	the stream forming the highest, most remote source of a river.
headwater	the highest part of a stream or river before receiving tributaries.
holard	the total quantity of water in the soil. Cf. ECHARD, CHRESARD.
horsepond	a pond for horses to drink from.
hydrograph	a graph of variation of stream flow over time.
hydrographic	relating to HYDROGRAPHY, the study of bodies of water.
hydrography	the study of bodies of water.
hydrology	the study of water resources.
hydrosphere	the water of the earth.
hypolimnion	the layer of water in a thermally stratified lake that lies below the thermocline, is noncirculating, and remains perpetually cold > HYPOLIMNIONS or HYPOLIMNIA.
iceberg	a large floating body of ice.
icebound	surrounded by ice.
icepack	drifting ice packed together, pack ice.
influent	a stream (esp. a tributary) which flows into another stream or a lake.
isobath	a line connecting points of equal underwater depth.
isobathic	relating to ISOBATHS, contour lines connecting points of equal underwater depth.
katabothron katavothron	an underground water channel.
lacustrine	relating to lakes.
lagoon laguna lagune	the stretch of water within an atoll or inside a barrier reef.
lagoonal	of or like a LAGOON.
lake	a large or considerable body of water enclosed by land; (verb) to sport or play > LAKES, LAKING, LAKED.
lakebed	the bed of a lake.
lakelet	a small lake.
lakelike	resembling a lake.
lakeport	a port in a lake.
lakeshore	the shore of a lake.
lakeside	the area beside a lake.
lakish	like a lake.
laky	containing lakes > LAKIER, LAKIEST.
limnologist	one who studies LIMNOLOGY, the study of bodies of fresh water.
limnology	the study of bodies of fresh water.
lin linn	a waterfall.
loch	(Scots) a lake.
lochan	a small lake; a pond.
longshore	existing on, frequenting, or directed along a shore; found or employed along a shore.
lough	a lake.
maelstrom	a powerful whirlpool.
meander	a sharp bend, loop or turn in a stream's course; (verb) to wind about in a circuitous course > MEANDERS, MEANDERING, MEANDERED.
meltwater	the water that runs off from snowfields or glaciers.
mickery	in Australia, a well or waterhole, esp in a dry riverbed.
midlittoral	that part of the seashore that lies between high and low neap tidemarks.
namma	see GNAMMA.
neap	the tidal period of least difference between high and low tides; (verb) to tend towards the neap > NEAPS, NEAPING, NEAPED.
nearshore	extending outward an indefinite but usu. short distance from the shore.
neritic	belonging to the shallow waters near land.
nontidal	not tidal.
nyanza	in Africa, a lake.
obsequent	flowing in a contrary direction to the original slope of the land, parallel to the consequent and perpendicular to the subsequent streams.
ocean	the vast body of salt water that covers most of the earth's surface.
oceanic	of or like an ocean.
ostial	relating to an OSTIUM, the mouth of a river or a mouth-like opening.
ostium	the mouth of a river; a mouth-like opening > OSTIA.
outfall	the outlet of a river, drain etc.
overbank	a stage of a river where it overflows its bank.
pelagial	of or pertaining to the sea; pelagic.
pelagian	of or pertaining to the sea; (noun) an inhabitant of the open sea.
pelagic	living in the open sea; (noun) an inhabitant of the open sea > PELAGICS. Cf. BENTHIC, confined to the depths of the sea.
phreatic	relating to underground water supplying, or probably able to supply, wells or springs.
plashet	a small pond or pool; a puddle.
pokelogan	a BOGAN, a quiet tributary or backwater.
polynia	an area of open water amidst sea ice, as in the Arctic > POLYNIAS.
polynya	an area of open water amidst sea ice, as in the Arctic > POLYNYI or POLYNYAS.
pond	a small, usually artifical lake; (verb) to make into a pond > PONDS, PONDING, PONDED.
potamic	of or relating to rivers. [Gk. potamos, river].
potamology	the study of rivers.
prograde	to advance seaward because of a build-up of sediment > PROGRADES, PROGRADING, PROGRADED.
refluent	flowing back; ebbing; tidal.
reliction	the recession of the sea leaving bare land.
rill	a very small brook; (verb) to flow in a rill or rills > RILLS, RILLING, RILLED.
rillet	a little rill.
riparian	relating to or inhabiting a river-bank.
riparian	relating to or inhabiting a river-bank; (noun) one owning land along a river-bank.
ripplet	a small ripple.
riptide	a tide that opposes other tides.
river	a large, natural stream of water.
riverbed	the area covered or once covered by a river.
rivered	supplied with RIVERS; as, a well rivered country.
riveret	a small river, a rivulet.
riverhead	the source of a river.
riverine	pertaining to a river, located on the banks of a river.
riverless	without rivers.
riverlike	like a river.
rivery	like a river; full of rivers. No comp!
rivulet	a small stream.
rockwater	water issuing from a rock.
runlet	a little run or stream; a streamlet; a brook.
runnel	a little brook.
saltchuck	in Canada, a body of salt water.
saltwater	of, containing or inhabiting salt water.
sea	a great expanse of water.
seabed	the bottom of the sea.
seafloor	the bottom of the sea.
seafront	an area along the edge of the sea.
seagirt	surrounded by sea.
seaquake	a quaking of the sea.
seawater	water from the sea.
seiche	a rocking movement of the surface of a lake or inland sea.
shelfy	abounding in shelfs or dangerous shallows > SHELFIER, SHELFIEST.
shelvy	having sandbanks, overhanging > SHELVIER, SHELVIEST.
shoaliness	the state of being SHOALY.
shoaly	having shoals > SHOALIER, SHOALIEST.
shore	the land bordering the sea.
shoreless	without a shore.
sike syke	a rill or small ditch.
slatch	an area of quiet water between two breaking waves in ocean.
sloot sluit	in S. Africa, a narrow water-channel: SLUITS.
sny snye	a natural channel bypassing rapids or body of river > SNIES, SNYES.
spait spate speat	a flood, a surge.
springlet	a little spring.
spruit	a small stream flowing only in the wet season.
spumy	like spume > SPUMIER, SPUMIEST.
stank	a ditch, a pool; (verb) to dam > STANKS, STANKING, STANKED.
stewpond	a fish pond; a fish tank.
stream	a small river; (verb) to flow in a steady current > STREAMS, STREAMING, STREAMED.
streambed	the bed of a stream.
streaminess	the state of being STREAMY.
streamless	destitute of streams, or of a stream, as a region of country, or a dry channel.
streamlet	a small stream.
streamling	a small stream.
streamy	abounding with streams > STREAMIER, STREAMIEST.
subbasin	a subdivision of a (river) basin.
subocean	beneath the ocean.
subsea	situated below the surface of the sea.
subtidal	below the level of the tide.
superwave	a exceptionally large wave.
surf	surging water or waves rushing up a sloping beach; sea foam; (verb) to bathe in or ride on surf > SURFS, SURFING, SURFED.
surflike	like surf.
surfy	like surf > SURFIER, SURFIEST.
swallet	a place where water disappears underground, aka swallow hole.
sweetwater	freshwater.
swelchie	in the Orkneys, a whirlpool; a tidal race. [ON svelgr, to swallow].
syke	see SIKE.
tarn	a lake in the bedrock basin of a CIRQUE.
thalassic	marine; of the seas, esp those which are small or inland.
thermohaline	involving both temperature and salinity.
thrutch	(N. Eng. dialect) a narrow fast moving stream; (verb) to thrust, shove.
tidal	pertaining to the tides > TIDALLY.
tide	the rise and fall of the ocean's waters; (verb) to flow like the tide > TIDES, TIDING, TIDED.
tideless	having no tide.
tidelike	like a tide.
tideline	the edge of the tide.
tidemark	the mark left by the tide.
tiderip	disturbed sea due to currents.
tidewater	water brought by the tide.
tidewave	the tide regarded as a wave passing round the earth.
tideway	a channel in which the tide sets.
torrent	a rapid stream of water.
tributariness	the state of being TRIBUTARY.
tributary	a river that joins another river.
tsunami	a great sea wave produced by submarine earth movement or volcanic eruption.
tsunamic	relating to a TSUNAMI, a great sea wave produced by submarine earth movement or volcanic eruption.
turbidite	the sediment deposited by a turbidity current.
turlough	a pond that dries up in summer.
underseas	below the sea.
undertow	an undercurrent opposed to the surface current; the recoil or back-draught of a wave.
upriver	up the river; (noun) an area lying towards the source of a river.
vadose	of or relating to underground water above the water table.
vorago	a gulf > VORAGOES.
waterfall	a fall or perpendicular descent of a body of water.
waterhead	the source of a river.
waterquake	a seismic disturbance affecting the sea.
watershed	the area which a river and its tributaries drain.
watersmeet	the confluence of two streams.
waterspout	a disturbance at sea like a very small tornado, a revolving column of cloud, mist or spray.
wavelet	a small wave.
weel weil wiel	a whirlpool.
wellhead	the place at which a spring breaks out of the ground.
whirlpool	a circular current in a river or sea, produced by opposing tides, winds or currents.
whitecap	a wave with a white crest.
whitewater	referring to a stretch of water with a broken foamy surface, as in rapids. No —S.
wiel	see WEEL.
winterbourne	an intermittent spring of water.

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