Related Searches
Nearby Words

waterspout

 [waw-ter-spout, wot-er-]   Origin

wa·ter·spout

   [waw-ter-spout, wot-er-]
noun
1.
Also called rainspout. a pipe running down the side of a house or other building to carry away water from the gutter of the roof.
2.
a spout, duct, or the like, from which water is discharged.
3.
a funnel-shaped or tubular portion of a cloud over the ocean or other body of water that, laden with mist and spray, resembles a solid column of water reaching upward to the cloud from which it hangs. Compare tornado (def. 1).
Tornadoes Waterspout www.bizrate.com/ Compare Choices and Prices. Everything You Want and Need!
Ad
Origin:
1350–1400; 1730–40 for def. 3; Middle English; see water, spout
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To waterspout

00:10

00:09

00:08

00:07

00:06

00:05

00:04

00:03

00:02

00:01

Waterspout is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Collins
World English Dictionary
waterspout (ˈwɔːtəˌspaʊt)
 
—n
1.  meteorol
 a.  a tornado occurring over water that forms a column of water and mist extending between the surface and the clouds above
 b.  a sudden downpour of heavy rain
2.  a pipe or channel through which water is discharged, esp one used for drainage from the gutters of a roof

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

waterspout
late 14c., "drainpipe," from water (n.1) + spout. Meaning "whirlwind on open water" is recorded from 1738.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

waterspout

a small-diameter column of rapidly swirling air in contact with a water surface. Waterspouts are almost always produced by a swiftly growing cumulus cloud. They may assume many shapes and often occur in a series, called a waterspout family, produced by the same upward-moving air current. Waterspouts are closely related to other atmospheric phenomena such as tornadoes, whirlwinds, and fire storms.

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

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Partners:WordBloglinesCitysearchThe Daily BeastAsk AnswersAsk KidsLife123SendoriThesaurus
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT