colorado river
colorado river Lexical Profile
• noun
North American A major river in North America flowing approximately 1,450 miles from the Rocky Mountains in the United States through the Southwest and northern Mexico into the Gulf of California, famously known for carving the Grand Canyon.
"Millions of people in the American Southwest rely heavily on the Colorado River for drinking water and agricultural irrigation."
American A significant river located entirely within the U.S. state of Texas, flowing southeast from the Llano Estacado region to Matagorda Bay on the Gulf of Mexico.
"The state capital of Austin was established along the banks of the Texas Colorado River."
Word Nuance & Usage
Care should be taken not to confuse the primary Colorado River of the American Southwest with a completely separate river of the same name located entirely within the state of Texas.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Named 'Río Colorado' (meaning 'red river') by 16th-century Spanish explorers due to the reddish, silt-laden water it historically carried from canyon runoff.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.