German Coastal Landforms and Tidal Features Vocabulary

Der Deich

dike

Der Deichgraf

dikemaster

Der Koog

diked land; flat marshland on the North Sea coast gained by drainage and construction of the dikes enclosing the land

Die Fenne, -n

grassy wetlands surrounded by ditches that drain the water.

Die Flut, -en

high tide

Die Ebbe

ebb tide

Der Schlick

gray, silt mudflats exposed at low tide on the North German coast.

Der Marsch

marshlands

Die Geest

a type of landform, slightly raised above the surrounding countryside, that occurs on the North German plains. It is a landscape of sandy and gravelly soils formed as a glacial outwash plain and now usually mantled by a heathland vegetation.

Springfluten

springtide: the first tides after the full and new moon resulting in high waters.

Die Hallig

holm: an un-diked island in the North Sea, prone to flooding

Das Profil

cross-section of a dike

die Dossierung/Böschung

the dike embankment or slope

die Bestickung

covering new sections of the dike with straw to protect against erosion.

Das Vorland

section of the mainland in front of the dike, created by mud deposited by the tides.

Der Priel

tidal channel that is affected by the ebb and flow of the ocean tides

Das Demath

a form of measurement used in the marshlands

Die Lahnungen

wooden posts in the mudflats that serve as breakwaters and build up sedimentation.

Die Möwe

seagull

Das Haf

lagoon of salt water that is separated from the sea by a sandpit or bar off the coast

Die Watten

mudflats

Der Schimmel

gray horse

Die Kate

small cottage

die Strandnelken

sea pink - a pink beach flower

Die Werft

earthworks, mounds, protected from flood on which many farms and homesteads were built

Der Pesel

a room at the back of a farmhouse, usually with a door to the garden, used for special occasions