types:
backwater
a body of water that was created by a flood or tide or by being held or forced back by a dam
bay,
embayment
an indentation of a shoreline larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf
channel
a deep and relatively narrow body of water (as in a river or a harbor or a strait linking two larger bodies) that allows the best passage for vessels
drink
any large deep body of water
estuary
the wide part of a river where it nears the sea and fresh and salt water mix
flowage
a body of water that has been created by deliberately flooding an area
crossing,
ford
a shallow area in a stream that can be forded
gulf
an arm of a sea or ocean partly enclosed by land; larger than a bay
inlet,
recess
an arm off of a larger body of water (often between rocky headlands)
lake
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
briny,
main
any very large body of (salt) water
mid-water
the water that is well below the surface but also well above the bottom
ocean
a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrosphere
offing
the part of the sea that can be seen from the shore and is beyond the anchoring area
polynya
a stretch of open water surrounded by ice (especially in Arctic seas)
pool,
puddle
a small body of standing water (rainwater) or other liquid
sea
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
seven seas
an informal expression for all of the oceans of the world
sound
a large ocean inlet or deep bay
territorial waters
the waters surrounding a nation and its territories over which that nation exercises sovereign jurisdiction
bayou
a swampy arm or slow-moving outlet of a lake (term used mainly in Mississippi and Louisiana)
bight
a broad bay formed by an indentation in the shoreline
billabong
a stagnant pool of water in the bed of a stream that flows intermittently
branch
a stream or river connected to a larger one
brook,
creek
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
canal
(astronomy) an indistinct surface feature of Mars once thought to be a system of channels; they are now believed to be an optical illusion
cascade
a small waterfall or series of small waterfalls
cataract
a large waterfall; violent rush of water over a precipice
deep
literary term for an ocean
ditch
any small natural waterway
firth
a long narrow estuary (especially in Scotland)
fiord,
fjord
a long narrow inlet of the sea between steep cliffs; common in Norway
Guantanamo Bay
an inlet of the Caribbean Sea; a United States naval station was established on the bay in 1903
gut
a narrow channel or strait
headstream
a stream that forms the source of a river
lagoon,
laguna,
lagune
a body of water cut off from a larger body by a reef of sand or coral
loch
Scottish word for a lake
loch
a long narrow inlet of the sea in Scotland (especially when it is nearly landlocked)
lough
Irish word for a lake
mare clausum
(closed sea) a navigable body of water under the jurisdiction of a single nation
mare liberum
(free sea) a navigable body of water to which all nations have equal access
oxbow lake
a crescent-shaped lake (often temporary) that is formed when a meander of a river is cut off from the main channel
rapid
a part of a river where the current is very fast
rill
a small channel (as one formed by soil erosion)
river
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
South Sea
any sea to the south of the equator (but especially the South Pacific)
sound,
strait
a narrow channel of the sea joining two larger bodies of water
tarn
a mountain lake (especially one formed by glaciers)
tideway
a channel in which a tidal current runs
watercourse
natural or artificial channel through which water flows