A river is an open curve of water.
What is a name for a closed curve (e.g. a circle) of water?
For example, what is the name of the digging around castle walls, that is filled with water to prevent enemies from getting near the wall?
asked Mar 30, 2014 at 14:09
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2 Answers
If a body of water is static rather than flowing then its generic name would be a lake, regardless of its shape. If it is small, it may be called a pond.
Man-made features may have names specific to their purpose, such as the moat already referred to, or a canal or a reservoir. A canal could be circular, such as a transport 'ring-road' around a city, eg in Amsterdam.
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If a curve of water is almost a circle of water but is not completely closed then it is an "oxbow lake". Mar 31, 2014 at 15:18
That is called a moat:
A deep, wide ditch surrounding a castle, fort, or town, typically filled with water and intended as a defence against attack.
—Oxford Online Dictionaries, s.v. moat
In other contexts it has no particular name.
answered Mar 30, 2014 at 14:48
