iceberg
Loading your saved state.
iceberg
A very large mass of ice floating in the sea that has broken off from a glacier or an ice shelf.
Das Schiff musste seine Route ändern, um dem riesigen Eisberg auszuweichen.
The ship had to change its route to avoid the huge iceberg.
The word 'Eisberg' (iceberg) is a simple compound made up of 'das Eis' (ice) and 'der Berg' (mountain). So it literally describes a mountain of ice floating in the sea.
In der Arktis kann man beeindruckende Eisberge sehen.
In the Arctic, you can see impressive icebergs.
The figurative meaning is used almost exclusively in the fixed expression 'die Spitze des Eisbergs' (the tip of the iceberg). This idiom describes the small, visible part of a much larger, invisible problem.
Die wenigen bekannten Fälle sind nur die Spitze des Eisbergs.
The few known cases are only the tip of the iceberg.
When the word is used without the expression 'die Spitze des...' (the tip of...), the literal meaning is almost always intended. The context then usually revolves around the sea, ships, or polar regions.
Die Titanic kollidierte mit einem Eisberg und sank.
The Titanic collided with an iceberg and sank.
symptom
'das Symptom' and 'der Eisberg' can both point figuratively to a larger problem. A symptom is a visible sign or consequence of a problem. 'der Eisberg' is usually used in the expression 'die Spitze des Eisbergs' (the tip of the iceberg). This means: you see only a small part, but there is much more behind it. The words can be confused when talking about problems. 'Symptom' is more precise when you mean a sign of an underlying cause. 'Spitze des Eisbergs' fits better when you want to emphasize that the visible problem is only a small part of something larger.
Die kaputte Heizung ist nur die Spitze des Eisbergs; im Haus gibt es noch viele andere Schäden.
The broken heating system is only the tip of the iceberg; there is still a lot of other damage in the house.
Die vielen Kündigungen sind ein Symptom für schlechte Stimmung im Team.
The many resignations are a symptom of poor morale in the team.