1. A massive floating body of ice broken away from a glacier. Only about 10 percent of its mass is above the surface of the water.
2. Informal. A cold, aloof person.

[Partial translation of Dutch ijsberg, from Middle Dutch ijsbergh : ijs, ice + bergh, mountain.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.