drainage
C1Pronunciation
UK
- /drˈeɪnɪdʒ/
US
- /ˈdreɪnədʒ/
- /ˈdreɪnɪdʒ/
Description
- water removal
- runoff control
- waste-water system
- flow away
This word is about water or other liquid being carried away from a place, either naturally or by a built system. Think about a farmer digging ditches so a field does not stay too wet, or a city using pipes and channels to move rainwater away after a storm. When this system works well, the ground stays usable and buildings stay safer. When it fails, water collects where it should not.
It is most often used for land, roads, gardens, pipes, and building systems. You can also see it in health care, where it means fluid being removed from a wound or part of the body. Good drainage often goes unnoticed, but it plays a big part in keeping places dry, clean, and safe.
Drainage refers to the natural or artificial removal of liquid, usually water, from a place where it could collect and cause problems. It is an important idea in farming, construction, road design, gardening, city planning, and medicine. You can picture rainwater flowing off a hillside into streams, or water moving through gutters, pipes, ditches, and underground systems built to carry it away safely.
In farming, good drainage helps crops grow because roots can be damaged by soil that stays too wet. In construction, it helps protect foundations, walls, and roads from water damage. In towns and cities, drainage systems reduce flooding by guiding rainwater and wastewater away from streets and buildings. In geography, a "drainage basin" is the area of land from which water flows into the same river, lake, or other outlet.
The word is also used in medicine. There, drainage means the removal of fluid such as blood or pus from a wound, an infection, or a body cavity so healing can happen more easily. On a smaller everyday scale, people talk about drainage in sinks, showers, flowerpots, and yards. If water does not flow away as it should, drainage is poor.
Overall, the idea is simple: liquid needs a path to leave. When that path is natural or well designed, land stays healthier, buildings stay safer, and systems keep working as they should.
Examples
- 1
Street flooding
The street floods every winter because the drainage is so poor.
- 2
Plant care
These plants need soil with good drainage.
- 3
Home maintenance
We had to improve drainage around the house after water started collecting near the back wall.
- 4
Wound care
The nurse checked the drainage from the wound before changing the bandage.
Domain
in wound care, drainage
liquid coming out of a wound
Forms and spellings
2 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- drainagenoun
Forms
- drainagespluralnoun