river bottom
3
2.9
- noun
- /ˈrɪvər ˈbɑːtəm/
:
fondo del río
- The pieces required for assembly are on the river bottom.
Examples
-
The other was a farm in the river bottom.
Fiction book (1990) -
Our engineer has made a study of the site... and has concluded that the river bottom there is too soft.
-
In October, on a bright warm afternoon, Jake notices a farmer harvesting his corn out on the river bottom.
Fiction book (2002) -
We'd been able to touch the river bottom for the first few miles with the eight-foot poles, but now it was too deep.
Fiction book (1991) -
Farmers settled in the river bottoms of northern Patagonia and grew alfalfa for seed or for export via the new railroad.
Academic text (2000) -
Leta's grandfather, Sam Danley, bought 160 acres of river bottom the same year that the new city of Chadron was founded.
Academic text (1990) -
During the drought, the river's water level dropped, exposing the rocky river bottom.
-
Fish often feed in the shallows where the river bottom is covered with plants.
-
The team collected samples from the river bottom to study the sediment composition.
Synonyms
128
5.2
The bottom layer of earth or rock that supports a road
18
3.0
The ground at the bottom of a river where water flows
1
4.9
The ground where a river flows now or used to flow
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the ground at the lowest part of a river channel' is directly and compositionally derived from 'river' (a watercourse) + 'bottom' (the lowest surface). This is a straightforward locative noun-noun combination common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.
Etymology
River bottom comes from a simple picture: it is the ground under a river, the actual bottom where stones and sand rest. Because it is the real lowest part of the water, people use it to mean 'the lowest part of a river channel'.