waterway
Navigable river route
A waterway is a navigable body of water—a river, canal, or channel used for travel or transport: The Erie Canal opened a waterway from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic.
The term emphasizes the water's function as a route rather than its natural features.
Inland waterways connect ports and facilitate commerce where roads cannot.
Mechanism requiring a key
- bargeFlat freight vessel
- towpathCanal-side walking route
- narrowboatSlim vessel for canals
- dredgingExtracting underwater sediment
aqueduct · floodgate · sluice · boatlift · gondola · irrigation · levee · culvert
Transported goods
- freightGoods being transported
- vesselReceptacle for contents
- bargeFlat freight vessel
- tankerVessel for liquid bulk
port · dock · wharf · quay · harbor · marina · container · berth
Large flowing watercourse
- streamSteady continuous flow
- tributaryStream entering larger river
- creekNarrow natural watercourse
- brookSmall flowing watercourse
delta · estuary · confluence · meander · rapids · floodplain · oxbow · watershed
Data shown visually
- buoyTethered nautical signal
- markerSomething that signals location
- beaconGuiding light source
- lighthouseCoastal beacon tower
pilot · channel · depth · sonar · radar · helmsman · rudder · seamanship
lock
Mechanism requiring a key
- bargeFlat freight vessel
- towpathCanal-side walking route
- narrowboatSlim vessel for canals
dredging · aqueduct · floodgate · sluice · boatlift · gondola · irrigation · levee · culvert · penstock
cargo
Transported goods
tanker · port · dock · wharf · quay · harbor · marina · container · berth · pilot
river
Large flowing watercourse
brook · delta · estuary · confluence · meander · rapids · floodplain · oxbow · watershed · riparian
chart
Data shown visually
lighthouse · pilot · channel · depth · sonar · radar · helmsman · rudder · seamanship · compass
strait
Constricted marine passage
channel · bay · gulf · narrows · passage · firth · arm · bight · loch · harbor
dam
Water-holding barrier
aqueduct · culvert · sluice · weir · spillway · levee · dike · floodgate · pipe · conduit
- waterwaysriver, rivers, canal, canals, stream
- Panama CanalPanama Canal, canal locks, canal, lock gates, lock system
- water routescanal, coastal route, bay cruise, harbor tour, ferry route
- Canal Heritagecanal locks, canal boats, towpath, locks, lock gates
- Senegal Rivertributaries, river basin, Fouta Djallon, floodplains, riverbank
- freshwaterponds, freshwater lake, creek, brook, pond life