headwater
源流
解説 Definition
河川の最上流部の源となる地点や地域。水が集まって川となる始まりの場所。
A headwater is the place where a river or stream begins, or one of the small streams that form its source. It is mainly used in geography and environmental writing. The word often appears in the plural when talking about the upper source area of a river.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
head を「頭」ではなく「先頭・上流側」と捉えるのがコツ。head of the line, head office の head と同じで「いちばん上・始まり」を表す。そこに water が付いて「川の始まりの水」→源流。地図や自然の記事では headwaters と複数形でもよく出て、一本の点より、川を生み出す上流域・支流群まで含む感覚で覚えると定着しやすい。mouth が河口なので、head と mouth の対比でも位置関係を固定できる。
Here `head` means “top” or “starting point,” like in `head office` or `head of the line`. So `headwater` is the water at the beginning of a river. You can also remember it by contrasting it with `mouth`, which is the end of a river.
例文
The hikers traced the river back to its headwater.
ハイカーたちは川をさかのぼって源流にたどり着いた。
The headwaters of the Amazon are located in the Andes Mountains.
アマゾン川の源流はアンデス山脈に位置している。
Protection of headwater regions is crucial for ecosystem health.
源流域の保護は生態系の健全性にとって重要である。
headwater の類義語・関連語
紛らわしい語
headwater の語源・成り立ち Etymology
headwater は古英語由来の head と water の複合で、head はここでは「上部・始まり」、water は「水」です。fountainhead や headstream と同じ発想で、川を一本の体に見立てて『頭に当たる場所の水』だから源流だとわかります。
Headwater is a native English compound made from head and water. Here head uses an old sense of "top," "source," or "beginning," so the word originally meant the water at the head of a river system. The same idea appears in related forms like fountainhead and headstream.
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