watershed

Noun
  1. A ridge of land that separates two adjacent river systems (synset 108697107)
    is a type of: line - a spatial location defined by a real or imaginary unidimensional extent
    subtypes: continental divide - the watershed of a continent (especially the watershed of North America formed by a series of mountain ridges extending from Alaska to Mexico)
    specific instances: great divide - that part of the continental divide formed by the Rocky Mountains in the United States
    same as: divide, water parting
  2. The entire geographical area drained by a river and its tributaries;
    An area characterized by all runoff being conveyed to the same outlet (synset 108536123)
    "flood control in the Missouri basin"
    is a type of: geographic area, geographic region, geographical area, geographical region - a demarcated area of the Earth
    subtypes:
    • detention basin - a storage site (such as a small reservoir) that delays the flow of water downstream
    • retention basin - a storage site similar to a detention basin but the water in storage is permanently obstructed from flowing downstream
    same as: basin, catchment area, catchment basin, drainage area, drainage basin, river basin
  3. An event marking a unique or important historical change of course or one on which important developments depend (synset 107432451)
    "the agreement was a watershed in the history of both nations"
    is a type of: juncture, occasion - an event that occurs at a critical time
    subtypes:
    • fall of man - (Judeo-Christian mythology) when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden, God punished them by driving them out of the Garden of Eden and into the world where they would be subject to sickness and pain and eventual death
    • road to damascus - a sudden turning point in a person's life (similar to the sudden conversion of the Apostle Paul on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus of arrest Christians)
    same as: landmark, turning point

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