drainage-basin

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Geographical area: A "drainage-basin" is an area of land where all surface water from rain, melting snow, or ice converges to a single point, such as a river, lake, or ocean. It is also known as a "catchment area" or "watershed".

Usage Examples

• (The area that collects water for the Amazon River.)
• (The land that channels water into the river.)

Advanced Usage

• "drainage-basin divide": the boundary between two drainage-basins, typically a ridge or highland.

  • The Rocky Mountains form a major drainage-basin divide in North America. (The mountains separate water flowing to the Atlantic from that flowing to the Pacific.)

• "endorheic drainage-basin": a basin where water does not flow to the ocean but remains in inland lakes or sinks into the ground.

  • The Great Basin in the United States is an endorheic drainage-basin. (Water in this basin does not reach the sea.)

Variants and Related Words

• Drainage (n): the process of removing excess water from an area.
  • Proper drainage is essential for preventing flooding in urban areas. (The removal of water.)
• Basin (n): a large, bowl-shaped depression or area of land.
  • The river basin supports diverse ecosystems. (The low-lying area around the river.)
• Catchment (n): a synonym for drainage-basin, often used in hydrology.
  • The catchment of this reservoir supplies water to the city. (The area collecting rainwater.)

Synonyms

• Watershed: the area of land where water drains into a specific body of water.
• Catchment area: the region from which water flows into a river, lake, or reservoir.

Related Idioms

• "Drain the basin": not an idiom but a literal phrase meaning to remove water from a basin.
  • They had to drain the basin to repair the dam. (Remove water from the area.)
• "Basin of attraction": a term from mathematics and physics, not directly related, but sometimes used metaphorically for a central gathering point.