Association of British Scrabble Players

Science & Tech > Earth > Water


Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.


rivers.
aber an estuary.
abysm abyss the deepest part of the ocean.
abyssal relating to a large area of extremely flat ocean floor lying near a continent and generally over 4 km in depth.
anabranch a stream that leaves a river and re-enters lower down > ANABRANCHES.
aphotic lightless, esp as designating that part of the ocean not reached by sunlight.
aquafer aquifer an underground reservoir of water which can be extracted for surface use.
aquatic related to water; (noun) an organism living or growing in or near water > AQUATICS.
artesian of a type of well in which water rises in a borehole by hydrostatic pressure from a basin whose outcrop is at a higher level.
backrush the seaward return of water from a wave.
backwash a receding wave.
backwater any quiet or unfrequented stretch of water.
ballicatter in Newfoundland, ice that forms along a shore from waves and freezing spray.
barachois barrasway a shallow lagoon formed by a sandbar > BARACHOIS.
basinal relating to a basin.
bathyal pertaining to the zone of the sea from 600 feet down to the abyssal zone.
bathypelagic of, relating to, or living in the depths of the ocean, especially between about 600 and 3,000 meters (2,000 and 10,000 feet).
bayfront the shoreline of a bay.
bayside the shore of a bay.
beck a brook, a stream; (verb) to beckon > BECKS, BECKING, BECKED.
benthal benthic relating to the deepest zone or region of the ocean.
benthon benthos the flora and fauna of the ocean floor.
bight 1. a bend in a coastline; also the body of water along such a curve; (verb) to fasten with a loop of rope > BIGHTS, BIGHTING, BIGHTED.
billabong a dead-end channel; a stagnant backwater.
bogan a quiet tributary or backwater. [Algonquin].
bourn bourne a small stream.
briming phosphorence of the sea. N.B. no BRIME*.
briny like brine > BRINIER, BRINIEST; (noun) the sea > BRINIES.
brook a stream; (verb) to tolerate > BROOKS, BROOKING, BROOKED.
brooklet a small brook.
brooklike like a BROOK.
burn (Scots) a stream, a brook.
burnie (Scots) a small brook.
burnside the side of a burn (stream).
cascade a waterfall; (verb) to fall like a waterfall > CASCADES, CASCADING, CASCADED.
cataract a waterfall.
channel a strait or narrow sea; a navigable passage through a body of water; (verb) to make or direct through a channel > CHANNELS, CHANNELING or CHANNELLING, CHANNELED or CHANNELLED.
chresard the total quantity of water in the soil available to plants > CHRESARDS. Cf. HOLARD, ECHARD.
confluence conflux a flowing together, esp. of rivers.
confluent a stream that flows into anotjer, usually of approximately equal size.
confluently in the manner of a confluent.
cotidal having high tide at the same time.
cowal a shallow lake or swamp.
creek a watercourse smaller than a river.
creekside the area at the side of a creek.
creeky containing, or abounding in, creeks > CREEKIER, CREEKIEST.
culch cultch the flooring of an oyster-bed.
deadwater still water without any currents.
decuman a great wave, as every tenth wave was supposed to be.
deepwater relating to the deep sea.
disembogue to discharge or pour forth from the mouth (as from a river.
distributary a branch of river that flows away from the main stream.
ditchwater water found in a ditch.
ea river.
eager (noun) a river bore > EAGERS; (adj.) zealous > EAGERER, EAGEREST; EAGERLY.
eagre eger an EAGER, a bore or sudden rise of the tide.
embogue of a river, to discharge. Same as DISEMBOGUE.
epeiric within the continental shelf.
epicontinental denoting a shallow sea that forms over a continental shelf.
epilimnion the upper, warm layer of water in a lake > EPILIMNIONS or EPILIMNIA.
estuarial estuarian estuarine of or relating to an ESTUARY.
estuary the wide end of a river when it meets the sea.
euphotic pertaining to the upper layer of a body of water.
euripus an arm of the sea with strong currents, spec. that between Euboea and Boeotia in classical Greece > EURIPI or EURIPUSES.
eustacy eustasy a uniform global change in sea level.
fishpond a pond abounding in edible fish.
flatwater slowly moving water in a river, as opposed to rapids.
floatbase a place on a river, lake, etc. where float planes dock.
floodmark the mark or line to which a flood or tide has risen.
floodtide the flowing in of the tide.
flote a wave.
fluvial fluviatic fluviatile belonging or relating to rivers or streams.
fount a fountain, a spring.
fountain a spring of water; (verb) to spring up or gush, as from a fountain > FOUNTAINS, FOUNTAINING, FOUNTAINED.
fountful full of springs.
freshet a sudden overflow of a stream; fresh water stream meeting salt water.
freshwater fresh water, not salt.
gnamma namma as in gnamma hole, an Australian term for a natural well in rock.
growler an iceberg.
gulf gulph a large indentation in the coast, the area of sea enclosed by it.
gulfy full of whirlpools or gulfs.
gurge a whirlpool; (verb) to swirl > GURGES, GURGING, GURGED.
hadal of, relating to or being parts of the ocean below 6000 meters, below ABYSSAL.
haff a lagoon separated from sea by a long sand-bar. [Ger. Haff, bay].
halocline a vertical gradient in ocean salinity.
harbourside the area next to a harbour.
headpond a pond created behind a dam.
headstream the stream forming the highest, most remote source of a river.
headwater the highest part of a stream or river before receiving tributaries.
holard the total quantity of water in the soil. Cf. ECHARD, CHRESARD.
holme an island in a river.
horsepond a pond for horses to drink from.
hydrograph a graph of variation of stream flow over time.
hydrographic relating to HYDROGRAPHY, the study of bodies of water.
hydrography the study of bodies of water.
hydrology the study of water resources.
hydrosphere the water of the earth.
hypolimnion the layer of water in a thermally stratified lake that lies below the thermocline, is noncirculating, and remains perpetually cold > HYPOLIMNIONS or HYPOLIMNIA.
iceberg a large floating body of ice.
icebound surrounded by ice.
icepack drifting ice packed together, pack ice.
influent a stream (esp. a tributary) which flows into another stream or a lake.
isobath a line connecting points of equal underwater depth.
isobathic relating to ISOBATHS, contour lines connecting points of equal underwater depth.
katabothron katavothron an underground water channel.
lacustrine relating to lakes.
lagoon laguna lagune the stretch of water within an atoll or inside a barrier reef.
lagoonal of or like a LAGOON.
lake a large or considerable body of water enclosed by land; (verb) to sport or play > LAKES, LAKING, LAKED.
lakebed the bed of a lake.
lakefill an area of land built by filling lake.
lakehead the shore of a lake further from the outlet.
lakelet a small lake.
lakelike resembling a lake.
lakeport a port in a lake.
lakeshore the shore of a lake.
lakeside the area beside a lake.
lakish like a lake.
laky containing lakes > LAKIER, LAKIEST.
landwash the shore area between the high-water mark and the sea.
limnologist one who studies LIMNOLOGY, the study of bodies of fresh water.
limnology the study of bodies of fresh water.
lin linn a waterfall.
loch (Scots) a lake.
lochan a small lake; a pond.
longshore existing on, frequenting, or directed along a shore; found or employed along a shore.
lough a lake.
maelstrom a powerful whirlpool.
meander a sharp bend, loop or turn in a stream's course; (verb) to wind about in a circuitous course > MEANDERS, MEANDERING, MEANDERED.
meltwater the water that runs off from snowfields or glaciers.
mickery in Australia, a well or waterhole, esp in a dry riverbed.
midlittoral that part of the seashore that lies between high and low neap tidemarks.
mudbank a sloping area of mud alongside a body of water.
namma see GNAMMA.
neap the tidal period of least difference between high and low tides; (verb) to tend towards the neap > NEAPS, NEAPING, NEAPED.
nearshore extending outward an indefinite but usu. short distance from the shore.
neritic belonging to the shallow waters near land.
nontidal not tidal.
nyanza in Africa, a lake.
obsequent flowing in a contrary direction to the original slope of the land, parallel to the consequent and perpendicular to the subsequent streams.
ocean the vast body of salt water that covers most of the earth's surface.
oceanic of or like an ocean.
oceanside situated beside the ocean.
oceanward in the direction of the ocean.
ostial relating to an OSTIUM, the mouth of a river or a mouth-like opening.
ostium the mouth of a river; a mouth-like opening > OSTIA.
outfall the outlet of a river, drain etc.
overbank a stage of a river where it overflows its bank.
pelagial of or pertaining to the sea; pelagic; (noun) an open body of water > PELAGIALS.
pelagian of or pertaining to the sea; (noun) an inhabitant of the open sea.
pelagic living in the open sea; (noun) an inhabitant of the open sea > PELAGICS. Cf. BENTHIC, confined to the depths of the sea.
phreatic relating to underground water supplying, or probably able to supply, wells or springs.
plashet a small pond or pool; a puddle.
pokelogan a BOGAN, a quiet tributary or backwater.
polynia an area of open water amidst sea ice, as in the Arctic > POLYNIAS.
polynya an area of open water amidst sea ice, as in the Arctic > POLYNYI or POLYNYAS.
pond a small, usually artifical lake; (verb) to make into a pond > PONDS, PONDING, PONDED.
potamic of or relating to rivers. [Gk. potamos, river].
potamology the study of rivers.
prograde to advance seaward because of a build-up of sediment > PROGRADES, PROGRADING, PROGRADED.
refluent flowing back; ebbing; tidal.
reliction the recession of the sea leaving bare land.
rill a very small brook; (verb) to flow in a rill or rills > RILLS, RILLING, RILLED.
rillet a little rill.
riparial relating to or inhabiting a river-bank; (noun) an inhabitant of a river bank.
riparian relating to or inhabiting a river-bank; (noun) one owning land along a river-bank.
ripplet a small ripple.
riptide a tide that opposes other tides.
river a large, natural stream of water.
riverbed the area covered or once covered by a river.
rivered supplied with RIVERS; as, a well rivered country.
riveret a small river, a rivulet.
riverhead the source of a river.
riverine pertaining to a river, located on the banks of a river.
riverless without rivers.
riverlike like a river.
rivery like a river; full of rivers > RIVERIER, RIVERIEST.
rivulet a small stream.
rockwater water issuing from a rock.
runlet a little run or stream; a streamlet; a brook.
runnel a little brook.
saltchuck in Canada, a body of salt water.
saltwater water that contains salt.
sea a great expanse of water.
seabed the bottom of the sea.
seafloor the bottom of the sea.
seafront an area along the edge of the sea.
seagirt surrounded by sea.
seaquake a quaking of the sea.
seawater water from the sea.
seiche a rocking movement of the surface of a lake or inland sea.
shelfy abounding in shelfs or dangerous shallows > SHELFIER, SHELFIEST.
shelvy having sandbanks, overhanging > SHELVIER, SHELVIEST.
shoaliness the state of being SHOALY.
shoaly having shoals > SHOALIER, SHOALIEST.
shore the land bordering the sea.
shoreless without a shore.
sike syke a rill or small ditch.
slatch an area of quiet water between two breaking waves in ocean.
sloot sluit in S. Africa, a narrow water-channel: SLUITS.
sny snye a natural channel bypassing rapids or body of river > SNIES, SNYES.
spait spate speat a flood, a surge.
springlet a little spring.
spruit a small stream flowing only in the wet season.
spumy like spume > SPUMIER, SPUMIEST.
stank a ditch, a pool; (verb) to dam > STANKS, STANKING, STANKED.
stewpond a fish pond; a fish tank.
stream a small river; (verb) to flow in a steady current > STREAMS, STREAMING, STREAMED.
streambed the bed of a stream.
streaminess the state of being STREAMY.
streamless destitute of streams, or of a stream, as a region of country, or a dry channel.
streamlet a small stream.
streamling a small stream.
streamy abounding with streams > STREAMIER, STREAMIEST.
subbasin a subdivision of a (river) basin.
subocean beneath the ocean.
subsea situated below the surface of the sea.
subtidal below the level of the tide.
sunker a ridge of rock near the surface of the sea.
superwave a exceptionally large wave.
surf surging water or waves rushing up a sloping beach; sea foam; (verb) to bathe in or ride on surf > SURFS, SURFING, SURFED.
surflike like surf.
surfy like surf > SURFIER, SURFIEST.
swallet a place where water disappears underground, aka swallow hole.
sweetwater freshwater.
swelchie in the Orkneys, a whirlpool; a tidal race. [ON svelgr, to swallow].
syke see SIKE.
tarn a lake in the bedrock basin of a CIRQUE.
thalassic marine; of the seas, esp those which are small or inland.
thermohaline involving both temperature and salinity.
thrutch (N. Eng. dialect) a narrow fast moving stream; (verb) to thrust, shove.
tidal pertaining to the tides > TIDALLY.
tide the rise and fall of the ocean's waters; (verb) to flow like the tide > TIDES, TIDING, TIDED.
tideless having no tide.
tidelike like a tide.
tideline the edge of the tide.
tidemark the mark left by the tide.
tiderip disturbed sea due to currents.
tidewater water brought by the tide.
tidewave the tide regarded as a wave passing round the earth.
tideway a channel in which the tide sets.
torrent a rapid stream of water.
tributariness the state of being TRIBUTARY.
tributary a river that joins another river.
tsunami a great sea wave produced by submarine earth movement or volcanic eruption.
tsunamic relating to a TSUNAMI, a great sea wave produced by submarine earth movement or volcanic eruption.
turbidite the sediment deposited by a turbidity current.
turlough a pond that dries up in summer.
underseas below the sea.
undertow an undercurrent opposed to the surface current; the recoil or back-draught of a wave.
upriver up the river; (noun) an area lying towards the source of a river.
vadose of or relating to underground water above the water table.
vorago a gulf > VORAGOES or VORAGOS.
waterfall a fall or perpendicular descent of a body of water.
waterhead the source of a river.
waterhole a hollow or depression in which water collects.
waterquake a seismic disturbance affecting the sea.
watershed the area which a river and its tributaries drain.
watersmeet the confluence of two streams.
waterspout a disturbance at sea like a very small tornado, a revolving column of cloud, mist or spray.
wavelet a small wave.
weedbed an area of a body of water having lots of weeds.
weedline the edge of a WEEDBED.
weel weil wiel a whirlpool.
wellhead the place at which a spring breaks out of the ground.
whirlpool a circular current in a river or sea, produced by opposing tides, winds or currents.
whitecap a wave with a white crest.
whitewater referring to a stretch of water with a broken foamy surface, as in rapids. No —S.
wiel see WEEL.
winterbourne an intermittent spring of water.