Iceberg
/ˈaɪs.bɜːrɡ/noun
A large floating mass of freshwater ice broken from a glacier or ice sheet.
Did you know?The word’s second element, berg, is related to English borough and barrow—words descended from an ancient root associated with elevated ground or fortified heights.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰerǵʰ-
“To rise or be high; the ancestral root behind words for hills, mounds, and fortified heights.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*bergaz
“Mountain, hill, or elevated landform.”
Old English
Old English
beorg
“Hill, mound, or barrow.”
Middle Dutch
Middle Dutch
ijsberch
“Ice mountain; a compound of ijs, “ice,” and berch, “mountain.””
18th Century
English
iceberg
“An English borrowing referring to a large floating mass of ice.”
Modern English
English
iceberg
“A large mass of glacial ice floating in the sea, most of which is submerged.”