Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Drainage |
DrainageNoun1. Emptying accomplished by draining. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "drainage" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1790. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Building & Civil Engineering | The whole system devised to remove surface or subsurface water from the limits of a road. Source: European Union. (references) |
Environment | Improving the productivity of agricultural land by removing excess water from the soil by such means as ditches or subsurface drainage tiles. (references) |
Food & Agriculture | Removal of excess water from the soil. Source: European Union. (references) |
Geological | Any channel that carries water. (references) |
Industry | Thickening on a wire. Source: European Union. (references) |
Medicine | The free flow or withdrawal of fluids, as pus from a cavity or wound. . . . This padding absorbs -- from eye. Source: European Union. (references) |
| The systematic withdrawal of fluids and discharges from a wound, sore, or cavity. Source: European Union. (references) | |
Mining | All procedures or plants and installations above or below ground for keeping water out of the mine workings, as well as for collecting, clarifying and carrying off incoming water. Source: European Union. (references) |
| The collection and removal of ground and surface water from the area of opencast working, together with measures to prevent ingress of water into the area, with a view to ensuring the safety of the workings and improving the quality of the solid fuel produced. Source: European Union. (references) | |
| The manner of gravity flow of water or the process of channelization, for removal at a point remote from a mining operation.See also:drain tunnel; water hoist. (references) | |
Public Administration | Elimination of accumulated water from wetlands by canalization(subsurface drainage)of from the ground(surface drainage), usually for environmental and agricultural improvement. Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
From the 1881 Household CyclopediaThis operation is always best performed in spring or summer, when the ground is dry. Main drains ought to be made in every part of the field where a cross-cut or open drain was formerly wanted; they ought to be cut four feet deep, upon an average. This completely secures them from the possibility of being damaged by the treading of horses or cattle, and being so far below the small drains, clears the water finely out of them. In every situation, pipe-turfs for the main drains, if they can be had, are preferable. If good stiff clay, a single row of pipe-turf; if sandy, a double row. When pipe-turf cannot be got conveniently, a good wedge drain may answer well, when the subsoil is a strong, stiff clay; but if the subsoil be only moderately so, a thorn drain, with couples below, will do still better; and if the subsoil is very sandy, except pipes can be had, it is in vain to attempt under-draining the field by any other method. It may be necessary to mention here that the size of the main drains ought to be regulated according to the length and declivity of the run, and the quantity of water to be carried off by them. It is always safe, however, to have the main drains large, and plenty of them; for economy here seldom turns out well.
Having finished the main drains, proceed next to make a small drain in every furrow of the field if the ridges formerly have not been less than fifteen feet wide. But if that should be the case, first level the ridges, and make the drains in the best direction, and at such a distance from each other as may be thought necessary. If the water rises well in the bottom of the drains, they ought to be cut three feet deep, and in this ease would dry the field sufficiently well, although they were from twenty-five to thirty feet asunder; but if the water does not draw well to the bottom of the drains, two feet will be a sufficient deepness for the pipe-drain, and two and a half feet for the wedge drain. In no case ought they to be shallower where the field has been previously levelled. In this instance, however, as the surface water is carried off chiefly by the water sinking immediately into the top of the drains, it will be necessary to have the drains much nearer each other--say from fifteen to twenty feet. If the ridges are more than fifteen feet wide, however broad and irregular they may be, follow invariably the line of the old furrows, as the best direction for the drains; and, where they are high-gathered ridges, from twenty to twenty-four inches will be a sufficient depth for the pipe-drain, and from twenty-four to thirty inches for the wedge-drain. Particular care should be taken in connecting the small and main drains together, so that the water may have a gentle declivity, with free access into the main drains.
When the drains are finished, the ridges are cleaved down upon the drains by the plough; and where they had been very high formerly, a second clearing may be given; but it is better not to level the ridges too much, for by allowing them to retain a little of their former shape, the ground being lowest immediately where the drains are, the surface water collects upon the top of the drains; and, by shrinking into them, gets freely away. After the field is thus finished, run the new ridges across the small drains, making them about nine or ten feet broad, and continue afterwards to plough the field in the same manner as dry land.
It is evident from the above method of draining that the expense will vary very much, according to the quantity of main drains necessary for the field, the distance of the small drains from each other, and the distance the turf is to be carried.
The advantage resulting from under-draining, is very great, for besides a considerable saving annually of water furrowing, cross cutting, etc., the land can often be ploughed and sown to advantage, both in the spring and in the fall of the year, when otherwise it would be found quite impracticable; every species of drilled crops, such as beans, potatoes, turnips, etc., can be cultivated successfully; and every species, both of green and white crops, is less apt to fail in wet and untoward seasons.
Wherever a burst of water appears in any particular spot, the sure and certain way of getting quit of such an evil is to dig hollow drains to such a depth below the surface as is required by the fall or level that can be gained, and by the quantity of water expected to proceed from the burst or spring. Having ascertained the extent of water to be carried off, taken the necessary levels, and cleared a mouth or loading passage for the water, begin the drain at the extremity next to that leader, and go on with the work till the top of the spring is touched, which probably will accomplish the intended object. But if it should not be completely accomplished, run off from the main drain with such a number of branches as may be required to intercept the water, and in this way disappointment will hardly be experienced. Drains, to be substantially useful, should seldom be less than three feet in depth, twenty or twentyfour inches thereof to be close packed with stones or wood, according to circumstances. The former are the best materials, but in many places are not to be got in sufficient quantities; recourse therefore, must often be made to the latter, though not so effectual or durable.
It is of vast importance to fill up drains as fast as they are dug out; because, if left open for any length of time, the earth is not only apt to fall in but the sides get into a broken, irregular state, which cannot afterwards be completely rectified. It also deserves attention, that a proper covering of straw or sod should be put upon the top of the materials, to keep the surface earth from mixing with them; and where wood is the material used for filling up, a double degree of attention is necessary, otherwise the proposed improvement may be effectually frustrated.
The pit method of draining is a very effectual one, if executed with judgment. When it is sufficiently ascertained where the bed of water is deposited, which can easily be done by boring with an auger, sink a pit into the place of a size which will allow a man freely to work within its bounds. Dig this pit of such a depth as to reach the bed of the water meant to be carried off; and when this depth is attained, which is easily discerned by the rising of the water, fill up the pit with great land-stones and carry off the water by a stout drain to some adjoining ditch or mouth, whence it may proceed to the nearest river.
To construct Main drains
When the ground is soft and springy the bottom of the drain is laid with bricks placed across. On these, on each side, two bricks are laid flat, one upon the other, forming a drain six inches high and four broad, which is covered with bricks laid flat. Where stones are used instead of bricks, the bottom of the drain should be about eight inches in width, and in all cases the bottom of main drains ought to be sunk four inches below the level of the narrow ones, whose contents they receive, even at the point where the latter fall into them.
The main drains should be kept open or uncovered till the narrow ones are begun from them, after which they may be finished; but before the earth is returned upon the stones or bricks, it is advisable to throw in straw, rushes or brushwood, to increase the freedom of the drain. The small narrow drains should be cut at the distance of sixteen or eighteen feet from each other, and should full into the main drain at very acute angles, to prevent any stoppage. At the point where they fall in, and eight or ten inches above it, they should be made firm with brick or stone. These drains should be eighteen inches wide at the top and sixteen at bottom.
The completest method yet known is to cut the strongest willows, or other aquatic brushwood, into lengths of about twenty inches, and place them alternately in the drain, with one end against one side of the bottom and the other leaning against the opposite side. Having placed the strong wood in this manner, fill up the space between them, on the upper side, with the small brushwood, upon which a few rushes or straw being laid, as before mentioned, the work is done. Willow, alder, asp or beach boughs, are exceedingly durable if put into the drain green, or before the sap is dried; but if they are suffered to become dry, and then laid under ground, a rapid decay is the consequence.
As in some situations it is an object of great importance to save the expense of materials commonly used in filling drains, a variety of devices have, with that view, been adopted. One of these is of the following nature:--A drain is first dug to the necessary depth, narrow at bottom. Into the trench is laid a smooth tree or cylindrical piece of wood, twelve feet long, six inches in diameter at the one end and five at the other, having a ring fastened into the thickest end. After strewing a little sand upon the upper side of the tree, the clay, or toughest part of the contents of the trench, is first thrown in upon it, and after that the remainder of the earth is fully trodden down. By means of the ring, the tree is then drawn out to within a foot or two of the smaller or hinder end; and the same operation is repeated till the whole drain is complete. Such a drain is said to have conducted a small run of water a considerable way under ground for more than twenty years without any sign of failure.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Drainage."
Synonym: DrainageSynonym: drain (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Cleanness | Noun: cleanness, cleanliness; Adjective: purity; cleaning; Verb: purification, defecation; Verb: purgation, lustration; detersion, abstersion; epuration, mundation; ablution, lavation, colature; disinfection; Verb: drainage, sewerage. |
Dryness | Exsiccation, desiccation; arefaction, dephlegmation, drainage; drier. |
Egress | Noun: egress, exit, issue; emersion, emergence; outbreak, outburst; eruption, proruption; emanation; egression; evacuation; exudation, transudation; extravasation, perspiration, sweating, leakage, percolation, distillation, oozing; gush; (water in motion); outpour, outpouring; effluence, effusion; effluxion, drain; dribbling; Verb: defluxion; drainage; outcome, output; discharge; (excretion). |
Ejection | Egestion, evacuation; ructation, eructation; bloodletting, venesection, phlebotomy, paracentesis; expuition, exspuition; tapping, drainage; clearance, clearage. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Drainage |
| English words defined with "drainage": Alosa chrysocloris, anterior cardinal vein ♦ Blind level, bog ♦ ditch ♦ peat bog, posterior cardinal vein ♦ river shad ♦ Sullage, swamp ♦ trench, Trocar ♦ waterspout, wiesenboden. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "drainage": Acid Mine Drainage, acid rock drainage ♦ centripetal drainage, combustible gases drainage ♦ dendritic drainage, Drainage Density, Drainage Divide, drainage hole, drainage trench, Drainage Well, Drainage wells, Drainage, Postural ♦ inherited drainage, internal drainage ♦ postural drainage ♦ superimposed drainage, superposed drainage ♦ trellis drainage pattern. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Drainage" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses. Dutch (drainage), French (drain, drainage, gutter), German (drainage). |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Domestic species are those that breed close to human habitation. This street-side drainage ditch contains the larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus. Credit: CDC. |  | Students observing a drainage project and its influence on mosquito populations during a mosquito control training course. Credit: CDC. |
 | A flume used to collect contaminated drainage at Iron Mountain Mine. Credit: NOAA Restoration Center. |  | A mine opening, adit. Note the highly contaminated acidic mine drainage coming from the left. Credit: NOAA Restoration Center. |
 | David Roblido (left), NRCS discusses the operation of a drop inlet. The inlet leads to an underground drainage pipe capturing run-off from terraced flowers. [Slide 97CS2986]. Credit: Bob Nichols. |  | Tile outlet into drainage ditch in central Iowa. Credit: Lynn Betts. |
 | Constructed drainage ditch in north-central Iowa. Drainage districts were formed in the 1900's to build and maintain such major drainage ditches to allow better drainage of croplands. Credit: Lynn Betts. |  | James Burgess (right), NRCS District Conservationist, and Burrow representative (left) discuss drainage plans for a ballfield in the Penns Corner, RC&D area in Wilkinsburg, PA. [Slide 97CS3095]. Credit: Bob Nichols. |
 | Burned drainage area near Winnemucca, Nevada, August 1999. Credit: Bob Goodman. |  | Straw bale structures protect burned drainage area from flooding and erosion after August 1999 wildfires, near Winnemucca, Nevada. Credit: Unknown. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
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| "El Pipe" by Christie Ortiz Commentary: "An drainage pipe(?) jutting from the rocks into the Baltimore Harbor." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. |
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | These burns stretch the drainage holes in the meshwork. (references) | |
Surgical drainage may be indicated and may improve patient outcome. (references) | ||
Postural bronchial drainage helps to remove secretions from the airways. (references) | ||
Business | The organizations overseeing the drainage systems and the treatment plants are encouraged to be detached from the government and to adopt a corporate style of management. (references) | |
This came into effect November 1, 1999. The fees are used to cover the operation costs of urban drainage systems and wastewater treatment plants, and help ensure that the system is kept running at full capacity. (references) | ||
Those projects include restructuring of agricultural enterprises, rehabilitation of pipe stations in Karshi, creation of drainage system in the region of Amu-Darya river and the water supply and sanitation project in Samarqand and Bukhara. (references) | ||
Civil Liberties | Angola | It specifies a minimum amount of cultivable land for each family, provides for freedom from landmines and provisions for health centers, schools, water, drainage, equipment, and farm supplies, and it includes requirements for coordination between the provinces and traditional authorities. (references) |
Economic History | Guyana | Farming is hampered by a need for improved drainage and irrigation systems. (references) |
Mexico | A private company --CAASA--was granted a contract a few years ago to manage water and drainage in the capital city. (references) | |
Human Rights | Ghana | In April 1999, a combined municipal and military team without due process demolished a private hotel in Accra, which they claimed was blocking a drainage route. (references) |
Trade | Mexico | Examples of this type of financing are typically seen in utility-industries such as electrical power, water supplies, drainage, and certain environmental projects. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Drainage" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 93.46% of the time. "Drainage" is used about 763 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 93.46% | 713 | 9,416 |
| Noun (proper) | 3.27% | 25 | 69,787 |
| Lexical Verb (infinitive) | 1.83% | 14 | 93,893 |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 1.44% | 11 | 106,044 |
| Total | 100.00% | 763 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "drainage": Autogenetic drainage ♦ blind drainage area ♦ drainage area ♦ drainage basin ♦ drainage channel ♦ drainage district ♦ drainage ditch ♦ drainage foil ♦ drainage heading ♦ drainage hole ♦ drainage of mines ♦ drainage pipe ♦ drainage piping ♦ drainage system ♦ drainage trench ♦ Drainage tube ♦ drainage water ♦ drainage wind ♦ Glaucoma Drainage Implants ♦ highway drainage ♦ impeded drainage ♦ inherited drainage ♦ land drainage ♦ lymph node drainage ♦ postural drainage ♦ rainwater drainage ♦ superimposed drainage ♦ superposed drainage ♦ trellis drainage pattern ♦ water drainage. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "drainage": drainage-basin, drainage-basins, drainage-minded, drainage-tube. | |
Ending with "drainage": land-drainage. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "drainage"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | drenim, drenazh, zonë e drenazhuar, ujë që kullon, tharje (dehydration, desiccation, drying, drying up, emaciation, withering), sistem drenazhimi, kullim (clearing, defecation, dribble, exudation, filtration, infiltration, seepage). (various references) | |
Arabic | مصرف (declensional, ditch, drain, inflective, outlet, vent), مجاري (cesspit, drain, sewerage), تفريغ (discharge, emptying, evacuation, putting ashore), تجفيف (desiccation, drying, seasoning), المياه المصرفة, شبكة من مصارف المياه. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | канални води (sewage, sewerage, waste), канализация (drains, piping, sanitation, sewage, sewerage), оттичане (eduction, efflux, run off), отводнителен (draining), пресушаване, дренаж (catchment). (various references) | |
Chinese | 排水设备, 排水渠 . (various references) | |
Czech | odvodòování, kanalizace (canalization, sanitation, sewerage). (various references) | |
Danish | draenage, dræning (dehydration, draining, land drainage, land drying, screening, straining), drænage, tørlægning (land drying), afvanding (dehydrating, dehydration, draining, highway drainage, land drying, thickening). (various references) | |
Dutch | drainage (draining, land drainage, land drying). (various references) | |
Farsi | زیراب زنی , زهکشی (Sewerage). (various references) | |
Finnish | vedenpoisto (dehydration, dewatering), salaojitus (land drainage), ojitus (ditching, draining, underground drainage), maankuivatus (draining), kuivatus (draining, drying). (various references) | |
French | drainage (drain). (various references) | |
German | entwässerung (dehydration), drainage (highway drainage), dränage (draining). (various references) | |
Greek | σύστημα αποχέτευσησ, στράγγισμα (wring), στράγγιση εδαφών (land drying), αποστράγγιση (dewatering, drainage of mines, draining, highway drainage, mine pumping, wicking), αποχέτευση (drains), αποχετευτικόσ. (various references) | |
Hebrew | יבוש (desiccation, drying), תעול (canalization, sewerage), ביוב (canalization, drain, sewerage), נקוז (drain). (various references) | |
Hungarian | lecsapolás (tapping), csatornázás (canalization, channeling, channelling, conduit, guttering, irrigation, sewerage). (various references) | |
Indonesian | drainase, pengeringan (dehydration). (various references) | |
Italian | drenaggio (drain), fognatura (drainage system, sewerage system). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 排水. (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | そつう (mutual understanding), ほうすい (abundance of water, high water, hose down), げすい (ditch, gutter, sewage, sewerage), みずはけ, はいすいこう (osculum, scupper), はいすい (water supply), はいえき (sewerage, waste liquid), はけ (brush, commutator brush, draining, paint brush). (various references) | |
Korean | 배수장치. (various references) | |
Manx | piobyn teaumee. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | ainagedray.(various references) | |
Portuguese | drenagem (straining). (various references) | |
Romanian | drenare (draining), drenaj (drain, draining), scurgere (course, discharge, drain, effluence, effluent, efflux, escape, flow, issue, lapse, leakage, leaking, loss, March, overflow, passage, passing, running, trickling), canalizare (canalization, sewerage). (various references) | |
Russian | сток (channel, discharge, effluent, gully, kennel, runnel, sink), спуск воды, осушение, дренаж;осушение водоотводный, дренаж (catchment, drain), дренирование. (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | drenaža (drainage system), kanalizacija (sewerage system), isušivanje (draining, drying up). (various references) | |
Spanish | drenaje (dewatering, drain, draining, highway drainage, wicking), desagüe (drain, draining, gutter, outfall, outflow, outlet, plughole). (various references) | |
Swedish | dränering (draining, highway drainage). (various references) | |
Thai | การระบายน้ำ. (various references) | |
Turkish | drenaj, süzülme (gliding, infiltration, percolation, volplane), lağım şebekesi, kurutulan arazi, kanalizasyon (drain, gully drain, sewage, sewerage), iltihabı boruyla boşaltma, çekilen su. (various references) | |
Ukrainian | стік (channel, dike, dyke, effluent, outlet), каналізація (canalization, sewage, sewerage), осушування, дренування, дренаж (catchment, drain). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | sự tiêu nước hệ thống thoát nước, sự tháo nước, sự rút nước, hệ thống cống rãnh (sewerage). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "drainage": drainages. (additional references) | |
| |
"Drainage" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Craiganee, Drainie, Drimnagh, Drivage, rainbagh, Reinagle. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "drainage" (pronounced drā"nuj) |
| 3 | -n u j | concubinage, manage, orphanage, tonnage. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
Direct Anagrams: gardenia. | |
| Words within the letters "a-a-d-e-g-i-n-r" | |
-1 letter: anergia, araneid, deraign, gradine, grained, reading. | |
-2 letters: agenda, danger, daring, denari, dinger, earing, engird, gained, gainer, gander, garden, girned, gradin, radian, rained, ranged, reagin, reding, regain, regina, ringed. | |
-3 letters: adage, again, agria, aider, aired, anear, anger, arena, deair, deign, denar, dinar, diner, dinge, dirge, drain, garni, grade, grain, grana, grand, gride, grind, irade. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-a-d-e-g-i-n-r" | |
+1 letter: arraigned, bargained, drainages, gabardine, gardenias, tragedian. | |
+2 letters: aggrandise, aggrandize, brigandage, deaerating, disarrange, eradiating, gabardines, guarantied, marginated, readapting, redamaging, smaragdine, tragedians. | |
+3 letters: admeasuring, aggrandised, aggrandises, aggrandized, aggrandizer, aggrandizes, brigandages, calendaring, daydreaming, degradation, demarcating, disarranged, disarranges, eradicating, grandaddies, grandbabies, inaugurated, ingratiated, plantigrade, preadapting, reradiating. | |
+4 letters: adulterating, aggrandizers, deflagrating, deflagration, degradations, deracinating, disappearing, engarlanding, granddaddies, grandiflorae, marginalized, masquerading, micromanaged, outbargained, plantigrades, propagandize, revalidating, safeguarding, sandpapering, spearheading, trademarking, triangulated. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Images: Slideshow 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Images: Digital Art 8. Quotations: Non-fiction | 9. Usage Frequency 10. Expressions 11. Expressions: Internet 12. Translations: Modern | 13. Derivations 14. Rhymes 15. Anagrams 16. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
