| oxbow [`äks´bō] GEOLOGY The abandoned, horseshoe-shaped channel of a former stream meander after the stream formed a neck cutoff. Also known as abandoned channel. HYDROLOGY 1. A closely looping, U-shaped stream meander whose curvature is so extreme that only a neck of land remains between the two parts of the stream. Also known as horseshoe bend. 2. See <<oxbow lake>> |