Streambeds

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The channels formed by flowing water where sediment collects and forms a bottom
2. The defined troughs in a landscape that contain and guide the flow of rivers and streams
3. Natural formations where water flows and erodes the surrounding terrain, creating a distinct bed for aquatic life

Etymology: "Streambeds" is simply the plural of "streambed," the channel that a stream flows through. The word is a plain compound of "stream" and "bed," the same "bed" that means a place to lie down or a layer of material. The image is of a stream lying in its bed the way a sleeper lies in a bed, and the comparison to Dutch "stroombed," German "Strombett," and Swedish "strömbädd" shows that several northern European languages built the same term from the same two parts.