Definition

1. Noun:
   • A conduit through which water flows: A man-made or natural channel, pipe, or other structure designed to carry water.
   • A natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth: A stream, river, brook, or any natural channel with flowing water.
   • The channel or bed through which a body of water runs: The path or course that contains the flowing water.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The ancient Romans built impressive stone watercourses to supply their cities.
  • The dry watercourse only fills with water during the rainy season.
  • Environmentalists are working to restore the natural vegetation along the watercourse.

Advanced Usage

• Legal/Technical Context: In law and geography, a "watercourse" often refers to a defined channel with banks and a bed, which may contain permanent or intermittent flow. Rights to use the water may be governed by specific regulations.
  • The property deed includes rights to the watercourse that borders the land.

Variants and Related Words

• Waterway (n): A navigable channel for boats and ships, which can be a natural watercourse or a canal.
  • The Mississippi River is a major commercial waterway.
• Stream (n): A general term for a small, natural flow of water.
• Channel (n): A broader term for a passage along which water or other fluids flow, which can be natural or artificial.

Synonyms

• Stream
• River
• Brook
• Channel
• Conduit

Related Phrases

• To follow the watercourse: To travel along the path of a stream or river.
  • The hiking trail follows the watercourse up into the mountains.
• The course of a watercourse: Refers to the direction or path that the flowing water takes.
  • The course of the watercourse was altered by the landslide.

Related Idioms

• To go with the flow (of the watercourse): This is a metaphorical extension, not a direct idiom with the word "watercourse." It means to adapt to circumstances rather than resist them, akin to an object moving with the current of a stream.
  • I don't have a strict plan for the trip; I'm just going to go with the flow.

Noun

1. a conduit through which water flows
2. a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
3. natural or artificial channel through which water flows