Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A reservoir placed at the point of discharge of a pipe into a sewer, to retain matter which would not pass readily through the sewer. Such basins are arranged so that they can be emptied as often as is necessary.
  • noun A reservoir, especially for catching and retaining surface-drainage over large areas.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A cistern or vault at the point where a street gutter discharges into a sewer, to catch bulky matters which would not pass readily through the sewer.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A cistern or vault at the point where a street gutter discharges into a sewer, to catch bulky matter that would not pass readily through the sewer.

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word catch-basin.

Examples

  • They came to a place where a small waterfall spilled down into a deep rocky catch-basin, which in turn overflowed to make the stream where he had seen the undine the day before.

    Tran Siberian Michael J. Solender 2010

  • After a short while, the sound of the little brook was joined by the louder sound of falling water, and through a gap in the trees ahead, Kellen could see what must be their destination for the night: a wide crack in the canyon wall where a tiny waterfall spilled down from above to fill a cuplike catch-basin before spilling away into the narrow stream.

    Tran Siberian Michael J. Solender 2010

  • Over 100 years ago, Adolph Sutro, the 24th mayor of San Francisco, recognized the power of San Francisco's waves, building a wave catch-basin that he hoped to one day turn into a wave-powered "overtopping" system near Cliff House.

    Gavin Newsom: Power America With Ocean Energy 2009

  • Mr. Ramos, who along with his brother Carlos now works as a dealer and art consultant, says that his mission was to save disfavored art from indifference, neglect or malicious destruction, and that his salvage collection is a catch-basin for a range of paintings -- from presidential portraits to genre scenes by Oscar García Rivera (called the "Norman Rockwell" of Cuba by Mr. Ramos), who was sent to a work camp in the 1960s.

    An Apostate Welcomed at Last 2008

  • They came to a place where a small waterfall spilled down into a deep rocky catch-basin, which in turn overflowed to make the stream where he had seen the undine the day before.

    The Outstretched Shadow 2003

  • After a short while, the sound of the little brook was joined by the louder sound of falling water, and through a gap in the trees ahead, Kellen could see what must be their destination for the night: a wide crack in the canyon wall where a tiny waterfall spilled down from above to fill a cup-like catch-basin before spilling away into the narrow stream.

    The Outstretched Shadow 2003

  • The sewer ended in the stable yard back of the horse barn, in a ten-foot catch-basin near the manure pit.

    The Fat of the Land The Story of an American Farm John Williams Streeter

  • A few feet from this catch-basin was a second, and beyond this a third, all of the same size, with drain-pipes connecting them about two feet below the ground.

    The Fat of the Land The Story of an American Farm John Williams Streeter

  • "I don't see why he has to drink!" she muttered, and making her way to the spring, dipped some water from the catch-basin and splashed it over her face and arms.

    The Texan A Story of the Cattle Country 1921

  • "He said you had to pile off the rocks 'til you come to the water an' then mud up a catch-basin."

    The Texan A Story of the Cattle Country 1921

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.