A
peninsula ( from
paene "almost" and
insula "island") is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to
mainland. The surrounding water is usually understood to belong to a single contiguous body, but is not always explicitly defined as such. A peninsula can also be a
headland, cape, island
promontory, bill, point, or
spit. A point is generally considered a tapering piece of land projecting into a body of water that is less prominent than a cape. In
English, the
plural of peninsula is
peninsulas or, less commonly,
peninsulae. A river which courses through a very tight meander is also sometimes said to form a "peninsula" within the (almost closed) loop of water.