watershed

CEFRC1

/ˈwɔːtəʃɛd/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

01
noun
An event that marks an important change in history or someone's life.
02
noun
Extra detail
A critical point marking a change in course or development.

Examples

Boston is in the Neponset River watershed.
This is a watershed moment for the whole industry.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses: 5
Parts of speech: 1
Citations: 5
Synonyms: 5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

A region of land within which water flows down into a specified body, such as a river, lake, sea, or ocean; a drainage basin.
The topographical boundary dividing two adjacent catchment basins, such as a ridge or a crest.
The time during the day in which material of a more adult nature (e.g., violence, swear words, or sex) may be broadcast on television or radio, either one permitted by law or one contrived from convention (e.g. when children are not watching).

More examples

In context

In the minds of many, 1847 was a watershed year during which Ceres, Pallas, Juno, Vesta, and Astraea were reclassified as asteroids.
Green's Dictionary of Slang is a watershed publication in the annals of slang lexicography, being, beyond doubt, the most comprehensive scholarly dictionary of slang ever published.
Coronavirus has been a watershed for the railways. It has accelerated the decline of season tickets and reduced business travel after years of steadily rising passenger numbers.

Quick test

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Question 1 · Quick check

This area is a blank, meaning all rivers drain into the same ocean.

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Nearby

Citations

The word in print, with each source given in full.

In the minds of many, 1847 was a watershed year during which Ceres, Pallas, Juno, Vesta, and Astraea were reclassified as asteroids.
2009 [2007], David A. Weintraub, Is Pluto a Planet?: A Historical Journey through the Solar System, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, →ISBN, page 115
Coronavirus has been a watershed for the railways. It has accelerated the decline of season tickets and reduced business travel after years of steadily rising passenger numbers.
2021 November 17, Anthony Lambert, “How do we grow the leisure market?”, in RAIL, number 944, page 34
In a 2,000-word blog post published ahead of the press event, Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president, called this a “watershed year” and acknowledged the potential downsides, calling for “wide-ranging and deep conversations” on the issues.
2023 February 7, Cade Metz, Karen Weise, “Microsoft Throws a Coming-Out Party for A.I.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
Green's Dictionary of Slang is a watershed publication in the annals of slang lexicography, being, beyond doubt, the most comprehensive scholarly dictionary of slang ever published.
2018, James Lambert, “Anglo-Indian slang in dictionaries on historical principles”, in World Englishes, volume 37, page 251
After Lesjaverk (23 miles) the eastern end of Lesjaskogsvatn is reached. This lake has the distinction of being a watershed. From the east end flows the Lågen, the great river that runs down Gudbrandsdal to Lake Mjøsa, while from the west end the Rauma River emerges to flow down to the Romsdalfjord.
1956 September, M. D. Greville, “Through the Romsdal by Rail”, in Railway Magazine, page 594

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Origin

noun

From water + shed. A calque of German Wasserscheide.

Deep Dive

noun

More examples

Related

Quick test

This area is a blank—, meaning all rivers drain into the same ocean.

Nearby

Origin

noun

This area is a blank, meaning all rivers drain into the same ocean.