Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The entire region draining into a river, river system, or other body of water.
- noun A ridge of high land dividing two areas that are drained by different river systems.
- noun A critical point that marks a division or a change of course; a turning point.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The area drained by a river and all its tributaries.
- noun The edge of a river-basin (see
river ); the line separating the waters flowing into two different rivers or river-basins.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The whole region or extent of country which contributes to the supply of a river or lake.
- noun The line of division between two adjacent rivers or lakes with respect to the flow of water by natural channels into them; the natural boundary of a basin; -- called also
divide andwater parting . - noun a point in time marking an important transition between two situations, or phases of an activity; a turning point.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun hydrology The
topographical boundary dividing two adjacentcatchment basins , such as aridge or acrest . - noun US A region of land within which water flows down into a specified body, such as a river, lake, sea, or ocean; a
drainage basin . - noun A
critical point marking a change in course or development. - noun Canada, UK The time after which material of more adult nature (
violence ,swear words ,sex ) may bebroadcast on television or radio, either one laid down or one contrived (e.g. when children are not watching...)
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the entire geographical area drained by a river and its tributaries; an area characterized by all runoff being conveyed to the same outlet
- noun a ridge of land that separates two adjacent river systems
- noun an event marking a unique or important historical change of course or one on which important developments depend
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The term watershed is used (especially in North America and Europe) to indicate an area of land from which all water falling as rain or snow would flow toward a single point.
Watershed 2008
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Today Mr. Bush is touting what he calls a watershed event in Iraq and he's asking for patience from Americans who disapprove of his handling of the war in Iraq, 62 percent taken in our poll only last week.
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Part of the reason Final Fantasy VII was such a watershed is that it was the first time most of us had played an RPG story where we got to see dramatic visuals of the characters in three dimensions.
Archive 2009-05-01 SVGL 2009
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Part of the reason Final Fantasy VII was such a watershed is that it was the first time most of us had played an RPG story where we got to see dramatic visuals of the characters in three dimensions.
Great Big Bites SVGL 2009
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These hills separate this watershed from the neighboring Madeira-Tapajós moist forest.
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Most of the watershed is blanketed by mature wet forests whose composition is poorly known.
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Your own confirmation hearing in 1987 is often called a watershed for the process.
The View From 1987 2009
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It is appropriate that a historically significant date, such as June the 26th, will now in future also become known as a watershed day in the politics of this Province.
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It is appropriate that a historically significant date, such as June the 26th, will now in future also become known as a watershed day in the politics of this Province.
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By 1985 it became common to claim that the British civil service was at a crossroads (Wass, 1985; Harrison and Gratton, 1987; Fry, 1988), and the changes introduced in the British civil service after the Conservative victory in 1979 were described as a watershed in the evolution of British government (Metcalfe and Richards, 1987).
Rediscovering Institutions JAMES G. MARCH 1989
vanishedone commented on the word watershed
WordNet omits a specific broadcasting sense: the time in the evening after which material not considered suitable for children gets shown.
April 4, 2009