thalweg

[ tahl-veg, -veyk ]
/ ˈtɑl vɛg, -veɪk /

noun

a line, as drawn on a map, connecting the lowest points of a valley.
Chiefly International Law. the middle of the main navigable channel of a waterway that serves as a boundary line between states.

Origin of thalweg

1860–65; < German, equivalent to Thal, now obsolete spelling of Tal valley (cognate with dale) + Weg way1

Example sentences from the Web for thalweg

  • The thalweg has been frequently confirmed as the accepted boundary where no conventions to the contrary existed.

    International Law |George Grafton Wilson and George Fox Tucker

British Dictionary definitions for thalweg

thalweg

talweg

/ (ˈtɑːlvɛɡ) /

noun geography rare

the longitudinal outline of a riverbed from source to mouth
the line of steepest descent from any point on the land surface

Word Origin for thalweg

C19: from German, from Thal valley + Weg way, path

Scientific definitions for thalweg

thalweg
[ tälvĕg′ ]

The line defining the lowest points along the length of a river bed or valley, whether underwater or not.
A subterranean stream following a course similar to that of an overlying surficial stream.