An iceberg is a large piece of freshwater ice that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. Etymology The word iceberg is a partial loan translation from Dutch ijsberg, literally meaning ice mountain, cognate to Danish Isbjerg, Swedish Isberg, Low Saxon Iesbarg and German Eisberg. Overview Because the density of pure ice is about 920 kg/m³, and that of sea water about 1025 kg/m³, typically only one-tenth of the volume of an iceberg is… (More on Iceberg)