iceberg

American  

[ahys-burg] / ˈaɪs bɜrg /

noun

1. a large floating mass of ice, detached from a glacier and carried out to sea.

2. Informal. an emotionally cold person.

3. Australian Informal. a person who swims or surfs regularly in winter.

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idioms

1. tip of the iceberg, the first hint or revelation of something larger or more complex.

   The new evidence in the case is just the tip of the iceberg.

iceberg British  

/ ˈaɪsbɜːɡ /

noun

1. a large mass of ice floating in the sea, esp a mass that has broken off a polar glacier

2. the small visible part of something, esp a problem or difficulty, that is much larger

3. slang a person considered to have a cold or reserved manner

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iceberg Scientific  

/ īs′bûrg′ /

1. A massive body of floating ice that has broken away from a glacier or ice field. Most of an iceberg lies underwater, but because ice is not as dense as water, about one ninth of it remains above the surface.

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iceberg Cultural  

1. A large piece of ice that has broken away from a glacier at the shore and floated out to sea.

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Discover More

Most of the ice in an iceberg is underwater, leaving only the “tip of the iceberg” visible — a fact that is often alluded to in discussions of subjects in which the most important aspects are hidden from view.

Etymology

Origin of iceberg

1765–75; half Anglicization, half adoption of Dutch ijsberg ice mountain; cognate with German Eisberg, Swedish isberg

Example Sentences

“What happened to good, old-fashioned romaine? Or iceberg. I remember when everyone ate iceberg lettuce.”

From Literature

At the center of the discovery is sediment rich in iron that was carried into the ocean by icebergs breaking away from West Antarctica.

From Science Daily

If I’m feeling saucy, shredded iceberg and Swiss join the party.

From Salon

“This week’s revelations are just the tip of the iceberg,” says Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works, who urged Congress to launch an investigation.

From Los Angeles Times

The snowmobile zoomed around shallow frozen lakes, and dodged clusters of smooth gray rocks that stuck up out of the white blanket of snow like icebergs on the ocean.

From Literature

Related Words

• abstract
• candid
• detached
• disinterested
• sober
• unbiased
• unemotional