drainage basin
noun
the area drained by a river and all its tributaries.Also called catchment area, drainage area.Compare watershed(def 2).
Nearby words
drahthaar, drail, drain, drain rod, drainage, drainage basin, drainage tube, drainage wind, drainageway, drainboard, drainer
Origin of drainage basin
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for drainage basin
Taken as a whole, the Two Medicine drainage-basin is an epitome of Glacier in miniature.
The Book of the National Parks|Robert Sterling Yard
British Dictionary definitions for drainage basin
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
Science definitions for drainage basin
drainage basin
[ drā′nĭj ]
An area drained by a river system. A drainage basin includes all areas that gather precipitation water and direct it to a particular stream, stream system, lake, or other body of standing water.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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