iceberg

[ahys-burg] /ˈaɪs bɜrg/
noun
1.
a large floating mass of ice, detached from a glacier and carried out to sea.
2.
Informal. an emotionally cold person.
3.
Australian Informal. a person who swims or surfs regularly in winter.
Idioms
4.
tip of the iceberg, the first hint or revelation of something larger or more complex:
The new evidence in the case is just the tip of the iceberg.
Origin of iceberg
1765-75; half Anglicization, half adoption of Dutch ijsberg ice mountain; cognate with German Eisberg, Swedish isberg
British Dictionary definitions for tip of the iceberg

iceberg

/ˈaɪsbɜːɡ/
noun
1.
a large mass of ice floating in the sea, esp a mass that has broken off a polar glacier
2.
tip of the iceberg, the small visible part of something, esp a problem or difficulty, that is much larger
3.
(slang, mainly US) a person considered to have a cold or reserved manner
Word Origin
C18: probably part translation of Middle Dutch ijsberg ice mountain; compare Norwegian isberg
Word Origin and History for tip of the iceberg

iceberg

n.

1774, partial loan-translation of Dutch ijsberg, literally "ice mountain," from ijs "ice" (see ice (n.)) + berg "mountain" (see barrow (n.2)). An earlier term was sea-hill (1690s). Phrase tip of the iceberg, in a figurative sense, first recorded 1962. Iceberg lettuce attested from 1893.

tip of the iceberg in Science
iceberg
  (īs'bûrg')   

A massive body of floating ice that has broken away from a glacier or ice field. Most of an iceberg lies underwater, but because ice is not as dense as water, about one ninth of it remains above the surface.
tip of the iceberg in Culture

tip of the iceberg definition


Only a hint or suggestion of a much larger or more complex issue or problem: “The money missing from petty cash was only the tip of the iceberg of financial mismanagement.” This phrase alludes to the fact that the bulk of a floating iceberg is concealed beneath the water, leaving only a small portion, its tip, visible above.

iceberg definition


A large piece of ice that has broken away from a glacier at the shore and floated out to sea.

Note: Most of the ice in an iceberg is underwater, leaving only the “tip of the iceberg” visible — a fact that is often alluded to in discussions of subjects in which the most important aspects are hidden from view.
Slang definitions & phrases for tip of the iceberg

iceberg

noun

An unemotional, chilly person; cold fish (1840+)


Idioms and Phrases with tip of the iceberg

tip of the iceberg

Superficial evidence of a much larger problem, as in Laying off a hundred workers is only the tip of the iceberg. This idiom alludes to the structure of an iceberg, most of whose bulk lies underwater. [ Mid-1900s ]