waterbreak

Noun

waterbreak (countable and uncountable, plural waterbreaks)

1. (countable, obsolete) A pothole or similar break in a road's surface caused by rainwater washing away the surface of the road.
   • Many of the entrants drove unusually reckless down the mountains and the unexpected waterbreaks jarred their cars more than 100 miles of rational touring.1908, Motor Age - Volume 14, page 13
   • Guessing the number of jolts which they received in the 72 miles which were studded with waterbreaks, ruts and gullies would have been a more appropriate mental exercise for the contestants in the Delaware Automobile Association of Wilmington's sealed time or "guessability" run on Saturday, 25th...1910, Motor World Wholesale - Volumes 22-23, page 770
2. (countable) A breakwater.
   • Since the islet has a 720 meter long waterbreak connecting the land and the islet it attracts many visitors during summertime.1968, Beautiful Korea, page 594
   • In Gdynia 90 per cent of the waterbreaks, 45 per cent of the quays and nearly all the warehouses were destroyed; in Gdansk the corresponding figure for waterbreaks and quays was 20 per cent and the warehouses and virtually all the handling equipment ceased to exist.1969, Polish Perspectives - Volume 12, page 80
3. (countable) A barrier built across a steeply sloping road or trail in order to direct the flow of water and prevent erosion.
   • A waterbreak should be extended far enough into the bank on the upper side of the trail to prevent water from cutting around it.1937, Construction of Trails, page 20
   • The following guidelines shall be considered in determining reasonable waterbreak or culvert intervals: (1) On grades of 10 percent or less, intervals of 100 to 200 feet; (2) On grades of 11 to 25 percent, intervals of 75 to 150 feet; ...1976, Mary Robinson Sive, Environmental legislation: a sourcebook, page 321
4. (broadly, countable) Any artificially constructed system or device to halt the destructive flow of water.
   • Later, about 75 years ago, Ralph's grandfather built "waterbreaks" on his farm, which are the nearest things to broad-base terraces you can imagine.1943, P. Alston Waring, Walter Magnes Teller, Roots in the earth: the small farmer looks ahead, page 91
   • Planting of waterbreak cultures on steep deeply submerged banks is not recommended before filling the reservoir, as they are doomed to death due to proceeding wash-out.1967, International Association of Scientific Hydrology - Volume 1, page 416
5. (countable) The time elapsed from an underwater explosion or seismic event until the arrival of the resulting energy wave at a hydrophonic detector.
   • Included in the display will be an active underwater buoy, a depth sensor waterbreak hydrophones unit, and a waterbreak converter.1969, Petroleum Times - Volume 73, page 251
   • Waterbreak times are plotted along the X-axis, and along the Y-axis the number of records corresponding to those times; this is repeated for each of the 4 waterbreak hydrophones, positioned on traces 1, 15, 31, and 47, as set up on the streamer used in 1970.1971, P. Legrand, A. Clement, R. Peraldi, Over 7000-mile Offshore Refraction Survey in the Hudson Bay
6. (uncountable) The formation of beads of water on a smooth surface, especially when used as an indicator of impurities on the surface.
   • A slurry of 10 grams of powder in 100 milliliters distilled water was carried on a cotton swab and the panels scrubbed until free from waterbreak when rinsed.1960, American Electroplaters' Society, Proceedings of the Convention, page 92
   • As a final test of whether the base object has been cleaned of all dirt and grease, observe the form carefully while it is being rinsed to observe the waterbreak. If the water runs smoothly over the object in a uniform sheet there is no waterbreak, and the form is probably sufficiently clean to...1979, Lee Scott Newman, Jay Hartley Newman, Electroplating and electroforming, page 33
7. (countable) A break in the smooth surface of a body of water, such as a ripple, whitecap, or the roughness that results from water flowing over an uneven surface.
   • And here and there a foamy flake Upon me, as I travel With many a silvery waterbreak Above the golden gravel,...1854, Alfred Lord Tennyson, “The Brook”, in A Poetry Book for Children
   • In one place, the ony point we have found a break, the central portion of the cliff opens back, on either hand, into a low alluvial valley; where the marigolds, as we are informed, in spring time burn like fiery stars amid the rank marsh-grasses; and out of this a famous trout-stream comes gliding...1862, Eneas Sweetland Dallas, Once a Week - Volume 7, page 532