berg
UK[bɜːɡ]US[bɜːrɡ]
n
A large mass or mountain of ice floating in the sea; an iceberg.
n
(South African) A mountain or hill.
Etymology
The word 'berg' entered English through two distinct but related paths. Its primary meaning of "iceberg" is a shortening of the Dutch-derived word 'iceberg', literally meaning "ice mountain". Its secondary meaning, used chiefly in South African English, comes directly from Afrikaans, retaining the original Germanic sense of a mountain or hill. This dual journey illustrates how a common Proto-Germanic root (bergaz) for a raised landform evolved separately, one path specializing in a dramatic frozen maritime feature and the other preserving the general terrestrial meaning in a specific regional dialect.
Analysis
The word 'berg' is a simplex loanword from Afrikaans/Dutch, itself from Middle Dutch 'berch', meaning "mountain". Its ultimate origin is Proto-Germanic bergaz.
Examples
The ship altered its course to avoid the massive berg.
Table Mountain is the most famous berg in Cape Town.
Only one-tenth of an iceberg is visible above water, with the rest of the berg hidden below.