delta

/ˈdɛltə/

/ˈdɛltə/

Other forms: deltas

Named for the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet (shaped like a triangle), a delta is a triangular area where a major river divides into several smaller parts that usually flow into a larger body of water.

The first so-called delta was the Nile Delta, named by the Greek historian Herodotus. What makes a delta so special? Alluvial deposits are the rich mineral soil that can be found in the delta. Despite frequent floods, farmers often settle in a delta for this reason. Here's some more fun delta trivia: the deltoid muscles in your shoulders are named after the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet too.

Definitions of delta

1. noun

   the 4th letter of the Greek alphabet
   type of:

   alphabetic character, letter, letter of the alphabet

   the conventional characters of the alphabet used to represent speech
2. noun

   a low area of alluvial deposits where a river divides before entering a larger body of water
   “the Mississippi River delta”

   “the Nile delta”

   type of:

   alluvial deposit, alluvial sediment, alluvion, alluvium

   clay or silt or gravel carried by rushing streams and deposited where the stream slows down

   formation, geological formation

   (geology) the geological features of the earth
3. noun

   an object shaped like an equilateral triangle
   type of:

   equiangular triangle, equilateral triangle

   a three-sided regular polygon