iceberg

English
Iceberg diagram
An iceberg

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch ijsberg, compound of ijs (“ice”) + berg (“mountain”). First used to describe a glacier as seen at a distance from a ship then used as a term to describe the floating chunks of ice broken off from such glaciers. Compare German Eisberg, Danish isbjerg, Norwegian/Swedish isberg.

Pronunciation

Noun

iceberg (plural icebergs)

  1. A huge mass of ocean-floating ice which has broken off a glacier or ice shelf
    The Titanic hit an iceberg and sank.
  2. (US, slang) An aloof person.
  3. (figuratively, after an adjective) An impending disastrous event whose adverse effects are only beginning to show, in reference to one-tenth of the volume of an iceberg being visible above water.
    • 2013, “How Barack Obama can get at least some of his credibility back”, in The Economist‎:
      He has little to lose: at present he will go down in history, alongside George W. Bush, as a skipper who ignored the looming fiscal iceberg.

Derived terms

Descendants

Translations

See also

References

French

Etymology

From English iceberg, from Dutch ijsberg.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ajs.bɛʁɡ/, /is.bɛʁɡ/
  • Rhymes: -ɛʁɡ
  • Homophone: icebergs

Noun

iceberg m (plural icebergs)

  1. iceberg

Further reading

Galician

Noun

iceberg m (plural [please provide])

  1. iceberg

Italian

Noun

iceberg m (invariable)

  1. iceberg

Derived terms

See also

Portuguese

Alternative forms

Noun

iceberg m (plural icebergs)

  1. iceberg

Spanish

Etymology

From English iceberg.

Pronunciation
  • (Castilian) IPA(key): /ˈiθebeɾ/, [ˈiθeβeɾ]
  • (Latin America) IPA(key): /ˈisebeɾ/, [ˈiseβeɾ]
  • (Latin America, also) IPA(key): /ˈaisberɡ/, [ˈai̯zβerɣ]

Noun

iceberg m (plural icebergs)

  1. iceberg
    Synonym: témpano de hielo

Derived terms
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