Yeah, I’m still obsessed with bodies of water, and in this word confusion post, I’m exploring some of the parts of a river: delta, estuary, rapids, and source.
Delta is at the mouth of a river, created by a triangular tract of sediment.
Estuary is a tidal mouth of a river.
Rapids are a course within the river that is composed of narrow walls, which constrict the river and cause a fast torrent of water.
Source is the beginning of the water, which forms a creek, tributary, stream, or river.
NOTE: Delta, as a noun can also refer to physics, the military, electrical activity, or various shapes while the singular rapid can also be an adjective, and source has multiple noun definitions and can also be a verb. This post will only explore the subject words as it pertains to a body of water.
Exploring Later . . .
“Bay vs Bight vs Cove“, “Cay vs Key vs Quay“, “Creak versus Creek“, “Dock vs Pier vs Wharf“, “Harbor vs Marina vs Port vs Quay“, “Peer versus Pier“, “River vs Stream vs Tributary“, “Slew versus Slough“, and “Straight versus Strait“.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
If you found this post on “Delta vs Estuary vs Rapids vs Source” interesting, consider subscribing to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.
| Delta | Estuary | Rapids | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
Egypt courtesy of NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — The triangular green area is the delta. |
Mattole River Estuary, 2005, courtesy of Mattole Restoration Council is under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — Where the river meets the Pacific Ocean. |
Riding the Rapids is in the public domain, via PxHere. |
Water Source is in the public domain, via PxHere. |
| Part of Grammar: | |||
| Noun
Plural: deltas |
Noun
Plural: estuaries |
Noun
Plural: rapids |
Noun
Plural: sources |
| A triangular tract of sediment deposited at the mouth of a river, typically where it diverges into several outlets | The tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream | [Usually rapids] A fast-flowing and turbulent part of the course of a river
|
A spring or fountainhead from which a river or stream issues |
| Examples: | |||
| “Fighting over water is a tradition in California, but nowhere are the lines of dispute more sharply drawn than here in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta” (Goode).
“The Nile Valley and the Nile Delta rank among the world’s most fertile farming areas and are surrounded by a highly arid environment” (Nile). The Mississippi Delta, a.k.a. the Yazoo Delta or the Delta, located in northern Mississippi is known for its cotton and for blues music “Deltas form as rivers empty their water and sediment into another body of water, such as an ocean, lake, or another river” (Delta). |
“An estuary is defined by its salinity rather than geography” (MW: Estuary).
“Some of the oldest continuous civilizations have flourished in estuarine environments, e.g., the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the Nile delta, and the Ganges delta” (MW: Estuary). “Cities such as the Thames River in London, the Hudson River in New York, and the St Lawrence River in Montreal developed on estuaries and became important commercial centers” (MW: Estuary). Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environments and are an example of an ecotone” (Estuary). |
Those of you looking for adventure can shoot the rapids.
A group of us planned a vacation shooting the Colorado rapids. They shot the rapids in a canoe. “He went on to describe in detail the rock formations he found, what the cliff walls were made of, and, of course, the lively rapids” (Karlstrom). |
“The source of the Blue Nile is Lake Tana in the Gish Abay region in the Ethiopian Highlands” (W: Nile).
Sir Roderick Murchison, head of Britain’s Royal Geographical Society, beseeched his friend, Dr Livingstone, to lead an expedition to find the source of the Nile River. The protection of source water — rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, springs, and groundwater — from contamination is essential as it provides water to public drinking water supplies and private wells. Alternative water sources include harvested rainwater, captured condensate from air handling units, and reclaimed wastewater. |
| Derivatives: | |||
| Adjective: deltaic | Adjective: estuarial, estuarine | Adjective: rapids Noun: rapidness |
Adjective: sourceless Noun: sourcebook |
| History of the Word: | |||
| Mid-16th century, originally specifically as the Delta (of the Nile River), from the shape of the Greek letter. | Mid-16th century denoting a tidal inlet of any size, from the Latin aestuarium meaning tidal part of a shore, from aestus meaning tide. | Early 17th century, from the French rapide and its source the Latin rapidus, which is from rapere meaning take by force. | Late Middle English from the Old French sours(e), past participle of sourdre meaning to rise, from the Latin surgere. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Delta vs Estuary vs Rapids vs Source
Some of these links may be affiliate links, and I will earn a small percentage, if you should buy it. It does not affect the price you pay.
Apple Dictionary.com
“Delta.” Encyclopedic Entry. National Geographic. Last updated 24 Apr 2023. Web. 30 May 2023. <https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/delta/>.
“Estuary.” Merriam-Webster. n.d. Web. 30 May 2023. <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/estuary>.
“Estuary.” Wikipedia. 28 May 2023. Web. 30 May 2023. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estuary>.
Goode, Erica. “Troubled Delta System Ii California’s Water Battleground.” The New York Times. 25 June 2015. Web. 30 May 2023. <https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/25/science/troubled-delta-system-is-californias-water-battleground.html>.
Karlstrom, Karl, Ivo Lucchitta, and Richard Young. “Solving the Riddle Of the Grand Canyon’s Formation.” NPR. 23 Sept 2011. Web. 30 May 2023. <https://www.npr.org/2011/09/23/140744695/solving-the-riddle-of-the-grand-canyons-formation>.
“Nile.” Wikipedia. 21 May 2023. Web. 30 May 2023. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nile>.
“Nile Delta.” Delta Alliance. n.d. Web. 30 May 2023. <http://www.delta-alliance.org/deltas/nile-delta>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
The Colorado River Basin is part of an article by Jay Adams, “Exploring the Colorado River and Lake Powell”, via Denver Water.
