nile river
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Proper noun 1. A major river in northeastern Africa: The Nile River is the world's longest river, flowing approximately 4,150 miles (6,650 km) northward through eastern Africa from its sources to its delta on the Mediterranean Sea. 2. A historically significant geographical feature: The river, particularly its valley and delta in Egypt, is renowned as the location of one of the world's earliest and most influential civilizations, Ancient Egypt.
Usage Examples
- Proper noun:
- The annual flooding of the Nile River was essential for agriculture in ancient Egypt.
- Explorers spent centuries searching for the source of the Nile River.
- The Nile River flows through multiple countries, including Uganda, Sudan, and Egypt.
Advanced Usage
- "The gift of the Nile": A classical historical epithet for Egypt, highlighting the river's crucial role in sustaining civilization in an otherwise desert region.
- The Greek historian Herodotus called Egypt "the gift of the Nile."
Variants and Related Words
- The Nile: A common shortened form used interchangeably with "Nile River."
- They took a cruise on the Nile.
- Nile Valley: Refers specifically to the region surrounding the river, especially in Egypt and Sudan.
- Blue Nile / White Nile: The two major tributaries that converge in Sudan to form the main Nile River.
Synonyms
- The Nile (the most direct synonym as a proper noun).
- The river (when context is clearly set in Egypt or northeastern Africa).
Related Phrases and Idioms
- "To cross the Nile": Historically, a metaphor for a significant journey or a major life change, sometimes alluding to death in ancient Egyptian belief.
- "Mud of the Nile": A poetic or historical reference to the fertile silt deposited by the river's floods.
Noun
- the world's longest river (4150 miles); flows northward through eastern Africa into the Mediterranean; the Nile River valley in Egypt was the site of the world's first great civilization