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waterspout

 - 4 dictionary results

wa⋅ter⋅spout

  [waw-ter-spout, wot-er-]
Use waterspout in a Sentence
–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).
Origin:
1350–1400; 1730–40 for def. 3; ME; see water, spout
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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wa·ter·spout   (wô'tər-spout', wŏt'ər-)   
n.  

  1. A tornado or lesser whirlwind occurring over water and resulting in a funnel-shaped whirling column of air and spray.

  2. A hole or pipe from which water is discharged.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

waterspout 
1390, "drainpipe," from water (n.1) + spout. Meaning "whirlwind on open water" is recorded from 1738.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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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.
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