iceberg

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iceberg

/ˈaɪsbɜːɡ/ UK
/ˈaɪsbɝɡ/ US

Rhymes with -aɪsbɜː(ɹ)ɡ

Where it comes from

Partial calque of Dutch ijsberg (being, by surface analysis, ijs (“ice”) + berg (“mountain”)), from Middle Dutch ijsberch. A full calque might have been *icebarrow. Cognate with German Eisberg, Danish isbjerg, Norwegian isberg and Swedish isberg. First attested in 1774. Displaced native English island of ice and sea-hill.

First used to describe a glacier as seen at a distance from a ship, then as a term to describe the floating chunks of ice broken off of such a glacier. Figurative senses (e.g., tip of the iceberg) in allusion to most of an iceberg being unseen underwater.

noun icebergs

obsolete The seaward end of a glacier.
A huge mass of ocean-floating ice which has broken off a glacier or ice shelf The Titanic hit an iceberg and sank.
US, slang An aloof person.
figuratively, after an adjective An impending disastrous event whose adverse effects are only beginning to show. He has little to lose: at present he will go down in history, alongside George W. Bush, as a skipper who ignored the looming fiscal iceberg.
Internet, figuratively, slang A topic that is more convoluted and fractal than it may seem. Near-synonym: rabbit hole
Similar: rabbit hole
Internet, broadly, figuratively, slang A list, infographic, or other enumeration of such a topic and its subcomponents, often ordered into groups sorted by obscurity and bizarreness. Check out the gaming iceberg on this post! There's some really freaky titles there that I've never heard of.
Similar: rabbit hole

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: berg, ice, wedge, iceman, corner, tip, lettuce, growler, ice cap, icecap, ice field, iceshelf, ice barrier, ice-shelf, glaciarium, ice foot

Translations

Every language

noun huge mass of floating ice

Español	banquisa, iceberg, témpano de hielo, témpano
한국어	빙산 bingsan
日本語	氷山 hyōzan
中文	冰山 bīngshān
हिन्दी	हिमशैल himśail, हिमखंड himkhaṇḍ
Português	iceberg, icebergue, montanha de gelo
Français	iceberg, montagne de glace
Deutsch	Eisberg
Italiano	iceberg, isbergo, ghiaccione, montagna di ghiaccio, monte di ghiaccio, mongelato
Ελληνικά	παγόβουνο pagóvouno
Română	aisberg
Русский	а́йсберг ájsberg
Tiếng Việt	núi băng trôi, băng sơn
العربية	جَبَل جَلِيد jabal jalīd, جَبَل جَلِيدِيّ jabal jalīdiyy, كُتْلَة جَلِيدِيَّة kutla jalīdiyya
עברית	קַרְחוֹן יַמִּי karkhón yamí

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MLA

"iceberg." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/iceberg. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

iceberg. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/iceberg

Chicago

"iceberg." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/iceberg.

BibTeX

@misc{iceberg_2026,
  title = {iceberg},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/iceberg},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}