watershed
[ waw-ter-shed, wot-er- ]
/ ˈwɔ tərˌʃɛd, ˈwɒt ər- /
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noun
Chiefly British. the ridge or crest line dividing two drainage areas; water parting; divide.
the region or area drained by a river, stream, etc.; drainage area.
Architecture. wash (def. 44).
an important point of division or transition between two phases, conditions, etc.: The treaty to ban war in space may prove to be one of history's great watersheds.
adjective
constituting a watershed: a watershed area; a watershed case.
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Words nearby watershed
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use watershed in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for watershed
watershed
/ (ˈwɔːtəˌʃɛd) /
noun
the dividing line between two adjacent river systems, such as a ridge
an important period or factor that serves as a dividing line
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
Medical definitions for watershed
watershed
[ wô′tər-shĕd′ ]
n.
A ridge between two areas that directs drainage to either side.
The area of marginal blood flow at the extreme periphery of a vascular bed.
Ridges of the lumbar vertebrae and the pelvic brim formed in the abdominal cavity, which determine the direction in which a free effusion will gravitate when the body is supine.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for watershed
watershed
[ wô′tər-shĕd′ ]
A continuous ridge of high ground forming a divide between two different drainage basins or river systems.
The region enclosed by such a divide and draining into a river, river system, or other body of water.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for watershed
watershed
A ridge of high land dividing two areas that are drained by different river systems. On one side of a watershed, rivers and streams flow in one direction; on the other side they flow in another direction. Also, the area drained by a water system.
notes for watershed
By extension, a “watershed” is a critical point that serves as a dividing line: “The parties reached a watershed in the contract negotiations.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.