break·wa·ter

[breyk-waw-ter, -wot-er]
noun
a barrier that breaks the force of waves, as before a harbor.

Origin:
1715–25; break + water

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
breakwater (ˈbreɪkˌwɔːtə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  Also called: mole a massive wall built out into the sea to protect a shore or harbour from the force of waves
2.  another name for groyne

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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00:10
Breakwater is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

breakwater
1721, from break (v.) + water.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
breakwater   (brāk'wô'tər)  Pronunciation Key 
An offshore barrier, such as a jetty, that protects a harbor or shore from the full impact of waves.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

breakwater

artificial offshore structure protecting a harbour, anchorage, or marina basin from water waves. Breakwaters intercept longshore currents and tend to prevent beach erosion. Over the long term, however, the processes of erosion and sedimentation cannot be effectively overcome by interfering with currents and the supply of sediment. Deposition of sediment at one site will be compensated for by erosion elsewhere; this phenomenon occurs whether one breakwater or a series of such structures is erected. Compare jetty.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences from the web
The harbor is formed by two moles and a breakwater, on which latter is a lighthouse.
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