thalweg

A noun referring to the line of lowest elevation along the bottom of a valley or the deepest, most navigable channel of a river or waterway, often used to define boundaries.

• 🇩🇪Linie der geringsten Höhe entlang des Talbodens; auch die tiefste, am besten schiffbare Rinne eines Flusses oder Wasserwegs, oft zur Grenzbestimmung verwendet.

1. Boundary line in a waterway C2 formal

   The middle of the main navigable channel of a river or waterway, used as a boundary between states or countries.

   • The treaty established the thalweg as the official border between the two nations.
   • Disputes over the thalweg often arise when the river changes course.
   • International law uses the thalweg principle to define maritime boundaries.

   🇩🇪Grenzlinie im Gewässer

2. Lowest line of a valley C2 formal

   A line connecting the lowest points along the floor of a valley or riverbed.

   • The thalweg of the valley guided the path of the ancient glacier.
   • Geologists mapped the thalweg to understand the drainage pattern.
   • The hiking trail follows the thalweg of the canyon.

   🇩🇪Talweg