headwater
6
7.2
- noun
- /ˈhɛdˌwɔtər/
- Specialized
:
nacimiento
- The scientists studied the headwaters of the river to understand its ecosystem.
- headwater streams
- headwaters of rivers
- headwater restoration
Examples
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The headwaters of Willet Creek in Terry Canyon.
-
When downstream farmers ran out of water in 1863, they went to the headwaters to investigate.
Academic text (1992) -
This is the headwaters of the water throughout the eastern United States.
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Probably on the east side of the andes, somewhere near the headwaters of the Amazon.
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Its headwaters are located on the plains west of the Houston metropolitan area in Waller County.
Academic text (2006) -
We fly from Iquitos over the headwaters of the Amazon, across the Andes, and out into the Pacific.
Academic text (2008) -
The long-disputed Jordan River has headwaters in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel.
Academic text (1993) -
A perennial favorite in Spring Term is a hike to the headwaters of the Hudson River in the Adirondack Mountains.
Academic text (2005) -
The Amazon River rises and falls with the annual influx of water from its headwaters in the Andes and its numerous tributaries.
Academic text (2002) -
Migratory fish also spawn in these Andean headwaters after returning from long journeys downstream.
Academic text (2011)
Synonyms
65
5.6
The source of a river or stream
47
3.7
A smaller river or stream that flows into a larger one
15
4.6
A smaller river that flows into a larger river or lake
2
8.0
The spring where a river or stream begins
1
4.9
A small stream that flows into a larger river
1
5.5
The place where a river or stream begins
1
5.6
The place where a river begins, often in the hills
A small stream that forms the start of a river
The place where a stream or river starts
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Headwater comes from two simple words, head ('top' or 'start') and water, so it means the place at the top where a river's water begins. Think of the 'head' of a person — the river's head is its starting point high in the hills.