oxbow

noun3

1. •
   A U-shaped piece of wood used as a collar for an ox, the upper parts of which are fastened to its yoke.
2. •
   A meander in a river; the land enclosed by such a loop.
3. •
   Short for oxbow lake.

   • Old oxbows ('mortlakes') are often rich in plants and animals including rarer ones which have been eliminated from the main channel by pollution or management since the separation. — 1982