waterspout
Also called rain·spout [reyn-spout] /ˈreɪnˌspaʊt/ . a pipe running down the side of a building to carry away water from the gutter of the roof: Don’t expect the waterspouts to function effectively if the gutters are clogged with leaves and other debris.
a spout, duct, or the like, from which water is discharged: The extendable waterspout can be attached to a bucket, making a better watering can than any that we’ve tried.
Meteorology.Also called fair-weath·er wa·ter·spout [fair-weth-er] /ˈfɛərˌwɛð ər/ . a funnel-shaped column laden with mist and spray that develops on the surface of a body of water and climbs upward to the cloud that has spawned it: usually formed during conditions of light winds, fair-weather waterspouts have little lateral movement and are not normally accompanied by thunderstorms.
Meteorology.Also called tor·na·dic wa·ter·spout [tawr-nad-ik] /tɔrˈnæd ɪk/ . a tornado that forms in a downward direction over a body of water, typically during a severe thunderstorm and often accompanied by high winds, dangerous water turbulence, and large hail: although tornadic waterspouts tend to dissipate rapidly upon landfall, they may occasionally move inland.
Origin of waterspout
1Words Nearby waterspout
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use waterspout in a sentence
Some so-called fair-weather waterspouts, not associated with thunderstorms, do fit this description.
A damaging tornadic waterspout barreled through parts of Smith Island | Jacob Feuerstein, Michael Ruane | August 5, 2022 | Washington PostShe said the damage extended along the path of the waterspout.
A damaging tornadic waterspout barreled through parts of Smith Island | Jacob Feuerstein, Michael Ruane | August 5, 2022 | Washington PostUsing high-speed video, neuroscientist Tejapratap Bollu and colleagues recorded the sides and bottoms of mouse tongues as the rodents drank from a waterspout.
Mammal brains may use the same circuits to control tongues and limbs | Charles Q. Choi | May 19, 2021 | Science NewsOne night in the summer of 1749, a waterspout appeared in the Mediterranean Sea just off the coast of Italy.
The Hebrew word for “waterspout,” as used in the book of Psalms, could also be translated as “waterfall.”
Summoned to investigate the waterspout, Father Ruder set to work at once.
As in the tornadoes, the waterspout begins with a funnel, which descends from the sky to the surface of the sea.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate ShalerLike the tornadoes and dust whirls, the life of a waterspout appears to be brief.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate ShalerOut of the depths of the pit a waterspout of fire shot suddenly, sending in every direction a shower of sparks.
Black Diamonds | Mr JkaiSomething whined over the Maggie and threw up a waterspout half a mile beyond her.
Captain Scraggs | Peter B. KyneA waterspout is a whirling body of water, which rises from the sea like a sharp-pointed pillar.
The Coral Island | R.M. Ballantyne
British Dictionary definitions for waterspout
/ (ˈwɔːtəˌspaʊt) /
meteorol
a tornado occurring over water that forms a column of water and mist extending between the surface and the clouds above
a sudden downpour of heavy rain
a pipe or channel through which water is discharged, esp one used for drainage from the gutters of a roof
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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