![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anabranch (an-uh-BRANCH) - n., a stream that branches off from the main river and rejoins it downstream.
Or, sometimes, disappears into the soil before it can rejoin. Rivers that do this a lot are called anabranching, though braided channels are apparently classified differently. The result of an anabranch is a river island. Coined in the 1830s by geologists from Ancient Greek root ana-, here in the sense of on/upon + English branch, divided part of something, ultimately from Late Latin branca, paw/foot (possibly from Gaulish roots).
---L.
Or, sometimes, disappears into the soil before it can rejoin. Rivers that do this a lot are called anabranching, though braided channels are apparently classified differently. The result of an anabranch is a river island. Coined in the 1830s by geologists from Ancient Greek root ana-, here in the sense of on/upon + English branch, divided part of something, ultimately from Late Latin branca, paw/foot (possibly from Gaulish roots).
---L.
