water gap
- noun
- /ˈwɔːtər ɡæp/
:
desfiladero
- The water gap served as a vital passage for wildlife crossing between the valleys.
Examples
-
During our hike, we stopped to admire the view from the water gap where the stream emerged.
-
Through those little water gaps with the oak limbs nearly arched overhead, and the gaunt frame houses, intermittent, strung with puny Christmas lights.
Fiction book (2000) -
The river flows smoothly through a narrow water gap in the mountain ridge.
Synonyms
148
1.0
An open space between two things, like a pass in hills
14
6.8
A narrow pass between two mountain peaks
8
3.2
A low route through mountains that people or vehicles use
1
9.6
A narrow passage between mountains that is often steep
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a narrow pass with a river flowing through it' is directly and compositionally built from 'water' (a body or flow of water) + 'gap' (an opening or pass), so a learner who knows both words can infer a gap containing water. Although it's a somewhat technical geographic term, the constituent meanings map straightforwardly onto the compound, making it predictable across languages and readily understandable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Water gap describes a place where a river has cut a narrow gap through a mountain ridge, so you can picture water making an opening in the rock. That's why it means 'a narrow pass where a river flows through a ridge'.