Anabranch

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈænəbɹæntʃ/

Definitions

1. A diverging watercourse that separates from a primary river while possibly reconnecting at a later point
2. A secondary flow of water that branches off from the principal channel and may merge again downstream
3. A natural river channel that splits from the main stream and often rejoins it downstream

Etymology: "Anabranch" names a river channel that leaves the main river, runs alongside it, and rejoins it further downstream, forming a loop or island between the two. The word is a compound of "ana-", a prefix taken from "anastomosing", the term for channels that join and split into a network, and "branch". The "ana-" element comes from Greek "ana", meaning "up" or "again" in some senses, and in this case it signals a channel that splits off and rejoins, so the sense of the whole is a branch that loops back. The compound is a technical coinage from modern English rather than an ancient or traditional word. Its parts are straightforward once the prefix is understood: "ana-" carries the idea of rejoining, and "branch" supplies the sense of a watercourse dividing off from a larger one. Geographers use it to describe distributary channels in river systems where the water takes a separate route for part of its course before merging again.