noun
mountain stream; water of a mountain stream
Refers to the clear, flowing water found in mountain streams; often evokes a poetic or natural imagery.
渓水のせせらぎが心地よい。
The murmur of the mountain stream is pleasant.
彼は渓水で喉を潤した。
He quenched his thirst with water from a mountain stream.
渓流 refers to the mountain stream itself (the flowing body of water), while 渓水 emphasizes the water of such a stream.
Compound of 渓 (mountain stream) and 水 (water). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning of water from a mountain stream.