noun
delta
DEL-tuh/ˈdeltə/
Land built up by sediment deposited at a river's mouth.
The river deposits sand and silt as its delta grows.
Etymology
Greek delta named the triangular letter Δ. That shape supplied a name for the Nile’s river mouth, later extended to sediment tracts at other river mouths, even those without a triangular shape.
In context
Phnom Penh sits on a river delta, 11 m above the sea. Flat, hot, and built where four branches of water meet.
More examples
- Several channels carry water through the delta to the sea.
- Farmers grow rice on the delta's fertile soil.
- Dams can trap sediment that would otherwise replenish river deltas.
Forms
delta · deltas
deltaic adjective — Relating to or forming a river delta.
Similar words
- alluvial plain
- Describes sediment-built flatland, not necessarily at a river's mouth.