iceberg

iceberg — noun

1. a massive block of ice that drifts on the ocean after breaking away from a glaci

1.名詞B1
釋義

a massive block of ice that drifts on the ocean after breaking away from a glacier; most of its bulk remains hidden beneath the water's surface

例句

Ships sailing in the North Atlantic must watch carefully for icebergs that could damage them.

countable — often used in the plural

The Titanic struck an iceberg on its first voyage and sank into the cold ocean.

同義詞
  • ice floe

    a much smaller, flat sheet of free-floating ice, not a tall, deep block like an iceberg

  • ice shelf

    a thick platform of ice still attached to a coastline, not free-floating like an iceberg

用法筆記

Only about one-ninth of an iceberg's volume is visible above water — the rest lies below the surface. This fact is the origin of the idiom 'the tip of the iceberg'.

常見錯誤

❌The glacier floated in the sea.
✅The iceberg floated in the sea.
💡A glacier is a slow-moving mass of ice on land; an iceberg is the piece that breaks off and floats in the sea.

2. a type of round, tightly packed lettuce with crisp, pale-green leaves, commonly

2.名詞B1
釋義

a type of round, tightly packed lettuce with crisp, pale-green leaves, commonly used in salads and on sandwiches

例句

Rodrigo tore some iceberg lettuce into pieces and added it to the salad bowl.

uncountable use: 'some iceberg lettuce'

Many hamburgers are served with a slice of iceberg lettuce for extra crunch.

collocation: 'a slice of iceberg lettuce'

同義詞
  • crisphead lettuce

    the botanical category that iceberg lettuce belongs to; more technical

  • romaine

    a different type of lettuce with tall, oblong leaves rather than a round, tight head

用法筆記

In everyday speech, people often shorten 'iceberg lettuce' to just 'iceberg' (e.g., 'Could you buy some iceberg for the salad?'). It remains a countable noun when referring to whole heads: 'I bought two icebergs.'

常見錯誤

❌I bought an iceberg from the market.' (meaning lettuce — possible but ambiguous out of context)
✅I bought a head of iceberg lettuce from the market.
💡Use 'head of' or the full name to avoid confusion with the frozen-sea meaning.