overfalls

American  

[oh-ver-fawlz] / ˈoʊ vərˌfɔlz /

noun

1. Oceanography. water made rough by a strong current moving over a shoal, by an opposing current, or by winds blowing against the current.

2. Obsolete. a cataract or waterfall.

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Etymology

Origin of overfalls

First recorded in 1535–45; over- + fall + -s ³

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

overfalls

Mr Sharp said: "We are tired but feel quite ecstatic to have finished. "It was a bit hairy towards the finish... with strong tides and big overfalls in the dark.

From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2015

The overfalls of rock and the unfriendly thorn-trees, selfishly taking up all the room, necessitate frequent zigzags up and down the rocky, precipitous banks.

From The Land of Midian — Volume 2 by Sir Richard Francis Burton

And those whirlpools were not constant to one place, but drove about strangely; and sometimes we saw among them large ripplings of the water, like great overfalls, making a fearful noise.

From A Continuation of a Voyage to New Holland by William Dampier

On entering the streights, we found a very strong ripling of the sea, which we were apprehensive were overfalls; but we found it was a strong current setting to the westward.

From An Historical Journal of the Transactions at Port Jackson and Norfolk Island by John Hunter

The overfalls of a river, where the stream is narrowed by its banks, whether naturally or artificially, especially the arches of a bridge, constitute a shoot.

From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Sir Edward Belcher

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