Untiefe

shoal

noun OON-tee-fer Rare

Also means

shallows

Usage Note

Untiefe is feminine and notoriously ambiguous: it usually means a dangerous shallow, though some read the un- as intensifying to mean a great depth. Sailors treat it as a shoal to avoid.

Examples

"Der Lotse warnte vor einer gefährlichen Untiefe."

Natural Translation

The pilot warned of a dangerous shoal.

Literal Translation

The pilot warned before a dangerous shoal.

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