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headstream

American  
[hed-streem] / ˈhɛdˌstrim /

noun

  1. a stream that is the source, or one of the sources, of a river.

headstream British  
/ ˈhɛdˌstriːm /

noun

  1. a stream that is the source or a source of a river

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of headstream

First recorded in 1810–20; head + stream

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Tehri Dam on the Bhagirathi River, a headstream of the Ganges, in India.Credit:

From Nature • Dec. 13, 2018

Khola virus is named for the Ebola River, which is the headstream of the Mongala River, a tributary, of the Congo, or Zaire, River.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.