retention basin
- noun
- /rɪˈtɛnʃən ˈbeɪsən/
- Specialized
:
balsa de retención
- The city built a new retention basin to reduce the risk of flooding during heavy rainstorms.
Examples
-
The compost site has a three percent slope with a retention basin for collecting runoff from the site.
Academic text (1998) -
The federation helped the school apply for grants to plant two large retention basins.
Blog text (15) -
At this site, however, stormwater is managed with bio-retention basins, swales, green roof systems, and pervious pavement.
Blog text (4) -
The system will use a network of 105 manhole-mounted sensors and computer-controlled valves to automatically hold back the flow of rainwater and sewage in pipes and retention basins until the storm has passed.
Academic text (2008) -
Engineers designed several retention basins to manage stormwater and protect local waterways from pollution.
-
During heavy rainfall, the retention basin fills up to safely capture excess water and prevent flooding in nearby neighborhoods.
Synonyms
1
7.3
A place where water is kept behind a dam for storage
Antonyms
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents: a basin (place where water gathers) that provides retention (holding back) of water, i.e., a place designed to hold stormwater. This compositional compound follows regular English noun–noun/attribute patterns and has clear parallels in other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Retention basin comes from the simple picture of a bowl that keeps water: retention means to 'hold' and basin is a low bowl or pond. Builders dig a low area to keep rainwater after storms so it does not flood places, so today the term means a man-made pond that holds stormwater to prevent flooding and help clean the water.