thalweg

English

WOTD – 23 September 2009

Alternative forms

• talweg

Etymology

Borrowed from 19th century German Thalweg, from Thal (“valley”) +‎ Weg (“way, course”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈtaːlvɛç/, /ˈtɑːlvɛɡ/, /ˈθɑːlwɛɡ/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈtɑl.vɛɡ/

Noun

thalweg (plural thalwege or thalwegs)

1. (geology, geography, cartography) The line that connects the lowest points in a valley or river channel, and thus the line of fastest flow or deepest water along a river’s course.

Usage notes

• The alternative spelling talweg is consistent with the German spelling reform of 1901.

Translations

line that connects the lowest points in a valley or river channel

• Catalan: tàlveg m
• Czech: údolnice (cs) f
• Extremaduran: vaguá
• French: thalweg (fr) m
• Galician: bañola f, farrigorcia f, corgo (gl) m
• German: Talweg m
• Ido: talvego (io)
• Korean: 최심선 (choesimseon)
• Northern Sami: oalli
• Norwegian: (for river) djupål m
• Portuguese: talvegue (pt) m
• Russian: та́львег (ru) m (tálʹveg)
• Spanish: vaguada (es) f

References

• 2005, Ed. Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson, The Oxford Dictionary of English (2nd edition revised), Oxford University Press, →ISBN
• 2004, Susan Mayhew, A Dictionary of Geography, Oxford University Press, →ISBN

Further reading

• thalweg on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

French

Etymology

Borrowed from German Talweg prior to the 1901 spelling reform (see etymology of English entry).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tal.vɛɡ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

thalweg m (plural thalwegs)

1. thalweg
   • 1903, M. Huguet, “Les Conditions Générales de la vie au Mzab”, in Bulletins et mémoires de la Société d'anthropologie de Paris, volume 4, page 220:

     […] la route laisse sur la gauche le thalweg de l’Oued Soudan […]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Further reading

• “thalweg”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Portuguese

Noun

thalweg m (plural thalwegs)

1. Dated form of talvegue.