Freshet
- Freshet
A freshet can refer to one of two things:
* A flood resulting from heavy rain or a spring thaw. Whereas heavy rain often causes a flash flood, a spring thaw event is generally a more incremental process, depending upon local climate and topography. The term "freshet" is most commonly used to describe a spring thaw resulting from snow and ice melt in rivers located in the northern latitudes of North America, particularly Canada, where rivers are frozen each winter and thaw during the spring. A spring freshet can sometimes last several weeks on large river systems, resulting in significant inundation of flood plains as the snow pack melts in the river's watershed. An example of usage is shown in the accompanying figure, which shows the historic marker at Durgin Bridge near Sandwich NH. Spring freshets associated with thaw events are sometimes accompanied by ice jams which can cause flash floods.
* A stream or river of fresh water which empties into the ocean, usually flowing through an estuary.
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Freshet — Fresh et, n. [OE. fresche flood + et. See {Fresh}, a.] 1. A stream of fresh water. [Obs.] Milton. [1913 Webster] 2. A flood or overflowing of a stream caused by heavy rains or melted snow; a sudden inundation. [1913 Webster] Cracked the sky, as… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
freshet — 1590s, stream flowing into the sea, from FRESH (Cf. fresh) (1) in a now obsolete sense of flood, stream of fresh water (1530s). O.E. had fersceta in the same sense. Meaning flood caused by rain or melting snow is from 1650s … Etymology dictionary
freshet — [fresh′it] n. [see FRESH1 & ET] 1. a stream or rush of fresh water flowing into the sea ☆ 2. a sudden overflowing of a stream because of melting snow or heavy rain … English World dictionary
freshet — noun /ˈfɹɛʃɪt/ a) A resulting from heavy rain or a spring thaw. Whereas heavy rain often causes a , a spring thaw event is generally a more incremental process, depending upon local climate and . The term freshet is most commonly used to describe … Wiktionary
freshet — noun Date: 1596 1. archaic stream 1 2. a. a great rise or overflowing of a stream caused by heavy rains or melted snow b. a swelling quantity ; influx < summer brings a freshet of tourists > … New Collegiate Dictionary
freshet — 1) stream 2) a great rise or overflowing of a stream caused by heavy rains or melted snow 3) an area of fresh water at or near the mouth of a stream entering the sea … Dictionary of ichthyology
freshet — /fresh it/, n. 1. a freshwater stream flowing into the sea. 2. a sudden rise in the level of a stream, or a flood, caused by heavy rains or the rapid melting of snow and ice. [1590 1600; FRESH (n.) + ET] Syn. 2. See flood. * * * … Universalium
freshet — I (Roget s IV) n. Syn. overflow, deluge, surge; see flood 1 . II (Roget s Thesaurus II) noun An abundant, usually overwhelming flow or fall, as of a river or rain: alluvion, cataclysm, cataract, deluge, downpour, flood, inundation, Niagara,… … English dictionary for students
freshet — fresh·et || freʃɪt n. stream that flows into the sea; sudden rise in the water level of a river as a result of floods or heavy rains … English contemporary dictionary
freshet — [ frɛʃɪt] noun the flood of a river from heavy rain or melted snow. ↘a rush of fresh water flowing into the sea. Origin C16: prob. from OFr. freschete, dimin. of freis fresh … English new terms dictionary
