Fjord

A fjord (sometimes written fiord, notably in New Zealand English) is a glacially overdeepened valley, usually narrow and steep-sided, extending below sea level and filled with salt water. In Norway, some fresh-water lakes which have formed in long glacially carved valleys with terminal moraines blocking the outlet are named fjords, as well.

Related Topics:
New Zealand English - Glacially - Valley - Sea level - Moraines

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Fjord is an Old Norse loan word, and is a cognate to firth. In Scandinavia, fjord is used for narrow inlets in Norway, Denmark and western Sweden, whereas the name fjärd is used in a synonymous manner for narrow inlets on the Swedish Baltic Sea coast, and in most Swedish lakes. This latter term is also used for bodies of water off the coast of Finland where Finland Swedish is spoken. Note that the uses for the words fjord and especially for the eastern form fjärd are more general in the Scandinavian languages than in English.

Related Topics:
Old Norse - Cognate - Firth - Scandinavia - Norway - Denmark - Sweden - Baltic Sea - Finland Swedish - Scandinavian languages

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~