delta
noun
Simple meaning
A low triangular area of alluvial deposits where a river divides before entering a larger body of water.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
dehltuhSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈdɛltə
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A low triangular area of alluvial deposits where a river divides before entering a larger body of water
A landform at the mouth of a river where it empties into a body of water.
mathematicsphysicsengineering
The symbol Δ; A change in a quantity, likely from "d" for "difference".
finance
The rate of change in an option value with respect to the underlying asset's price.
The fourth letter of the modern Greek alphabet Δ, δ.
A type of cargo bike that has one wheel in front and two in back.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A low triangular area of alluvial deposits where a river divides before entering a larger body of water
Used this way, delta is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use delta
- “The Mississippi River delta.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An allotrope of iron that is stable between 1403 degrees centigrade and the melting point (= 1532 degrees).
An electron ejected from matter by ionizing radiation.
The normal brainwave in the encephalogram of a person in deep dreamless sleep.
The normal brainwave in the encephalogram of a person in deep dreamless sleep.
An airplane with wings that give it the appearance of an isosceles triangle.
A severe form of hepatitis.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.