outfall

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English

[edit]

Etymology 1

[edit]

From Middle English outfallen, equivalent to out- +‎ fall. Compare Dutch uitvallen (to fall out, sally), German ausfallen (to fall out, lunge), Swedish utfalla (to fall out).

Verb

[edit]

outfall (third-person singular simple present outfalls, present participle outfalling, simple past outfell, past participle outfallen)

  1. (transitive, obsolete) To burst forth, as upon an enemy; make a sally.

Etymology 2

[edit]

From out- +‎ fall. Compare Dutch uitval (outburst, sally, eruption), German Ausfall (falling out, sally), Swedish utfall (sally, issue).

Noun

[edit]

outfall (plural outfalls)

  1. (obsolete) A sudden eruption of troops from a fortified place; sally.
  2. (dialectal) A quarrel; a falling out.
  3. The point or place of discharge of a river, drain, culvert, sewer, etc.; mouth; embouchure.
    • 1961 October, Voyageur, “The Cockermouth, Keswick & Penrith Railway”, in Trains Illustrated, page 601:
      West of Keswick a short descent at 1 in 122 brings the train down to the low-lying and marshy ground between Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake and to the crossing of the Derwent - the outfall from Derwentwater, [...].
    • 2014 October 18, Matt Weiser, “Could desalination solve California’s water problem?”, in The Sacramento Bee[1], retrieved 20150315:
      The rules focus primarily on two crucial operating features: seawater intakes and outfalls.
Derived terms
[edit]

Anagrams

[edit]