watershed

watershed
wa|ter|shed [ˈwo:təʃed US ˈwo:tər-, ˈwa:-] n
[Date: 1800-1900; Origin: water + shed 'line of high ground' (16-21 centuries) (from Old English scead 'separation'); suggested by German wasserscheide]
1.) an event or time when important changes happen in history or in your life
= ↑turning point watershed in
The 1932 election represented a watershed in American politics.
watershed decision/case etc
a watershed case on pension rights
2.) the (9 o'clock) watershed
BrE the time in the evening after which television programmes that are not considered suitable for children may be shown in Britain
3.) technical the high land separating two river systems

Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • watershed — UK US /ˈwɔːtəʃed/ noun [S] ► an event or period that is important because it represents a big change in how people do or think about something: a watershed for sth/sb »The buyout was hailed on Wall Street as a watershed for private equity. a… …   Financial and business terms

  • Watershed — Альбом Opeth …   Википедия

  • Watershed — im Prime Club Köln. Dezember 2003 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Watershed — Álbum de Opeth Publicación 2 de junio de 2008 …   Wikipedia Español

  • watershed — originally a term in geology referring to the flow and division of river currents, has been used since the late 19c in the figurative meaning ‘a turning point in affairs’: • In the social history of twentieth century Britain the Second World War… …   Modern English usage

  • Watershed — Wa ter*shed , n. [Cf. G. wasserscheide; wasser water + scheide a place where two things separate, fr. scheiden to separate.] [1913 Webster] 1. The whole region or extent of country which contributes to the supply of a river or lake. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • watershed — index crossroad (turning point) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • watershed — line separating waters flowing into different rivers, 1803, from WATER (Cf. water) (n.1) + SHED (Cf. shed). A loan translation of Ger. Wasser scheide. Figurative sense is attested from 1878. Meaning ground of a river system is from 1878 …   Etymology dictionary

  • watershed — ► NOUN 1) an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas. 2) a turning point in a state of affairs. 3) Brit. the time after which programmes that are unsuitable for children are broadcast on television …   English terms dictionary

  • watershed — [wôt′ərshed΄] n. 1. a ridge or stretch of high land dividing the areas drained by different rivers or river systems ☆ 2. the area drained by a river or river system 3. a crucial turning point affecting action, opinion, etc …   English World dictionary

  • Watershed — NOTOC Watershed may refer to: * Watershed, drainage divide (non American usage) * Watershed, drainage basin (North American usage) * Watershed (algorithm), an algorithm used in image processing * Watershed area (medical), an area with overlapping …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”