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oxbow lake

American  
[ahks-boh layk] / ˈɑksˌboʊ ˈleɪk /

noun

plural

oxbow lakes

  1. Physical Geography. a bow-shaped lake formed when a relatively wide curve or meander in the course of a river is cut off as the river takes a more direct course.

oxbow lake Scientific  

  1. A crescent-shaped lake formed when a river changes its course and cuts through the strip of land in the middle of an oxbow, abandoning its previous course and isolating the water in the oxbow.

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