drain·age

[drey-nij]
noun
1.
the act or process of draining.
2.
a system of drains, artificial or natural.
4.
something that is drained off.
5.
Surgery. the drainage of fluids, as bile, urine, etc., from the body, or of pus and other diseased products from a wound.

Origin:
1645–55; drain + -age

o·ver·drain·age, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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00:10
Drainage is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Collins
World English Dictionary
drainage (ˈdreɪnɪdʒ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  the process or a method of draining
2.  a system of watercourses or drains
3.  liquid, sewage, etc, that is drained away

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

drainage
1650s, from drain + -age.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

drainage drain·age (drā'nĭj)
n.
The removal of fluid or purulent material from a wound or body cavity.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

drainage

in agriculture, the artificial removal of water from land; drainage is employed in the reclamation of wetlands, in the prevention of erosion, and as a concomitant of irrigation in the agriculture of arid regions

Learn more about drainage with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
Storm drainage is designed based on the water level at the downstream end.
Regular, daily drainage to remove bronchial secretions is a routine part of
  treatment.
It has a primary school, running water and some drainage.
Solar panels help keep the houses warm, shared backyards bring neighbors
  together, and natural drainage irrigates fruit trees.
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