drainage

[drey-nij]

noun

1. the act or process of draining.

2. a system of drains, artificial or natural.

3. drainage basin.

4. something that is drained off.

5. Surgery.,  the drainage of fluids, as bile, urine, etc., from the body, or of pus and other diseased products from a wound.

drainage

/ ˈdreɪnɪdʒ /

noun

1. the process or a method of draining

2. a system of watercourses or drains

3. liquid, sewage, etc, that is drained away

Other Word Forms

• overdrainage noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of drainage¹

First recorded in 1645–55; drain + -age

Example Sentences

During a snowstorm, we were driving through the mountains with the girls when Jimmie slid off the road and into the drainage ditch.

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Sunday, with the National Weather Service predicting excessive rain to cause urban and other small streams to flood, and water to pool in low-lying and poor drainage areas across L.A.

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To improve reliability further, the team used water's strong surface tension to design drainage holes that let water move downward but not upward.

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The spending approved Thursday covers the rebuilt roadways, new bridges and retaining walls, drainage and utility work, landscaping, lighting, and wayfinding systems.

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The primary cause of the plants decline has been habitat loss through drainage and abandonment of the fens.

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Related Words

• sewerage