catchment area
- noun
- Specialized
- The catchment area for the reservoir includes several nearby hills where rainwater flows down into the lake.
- catchment area for schools
- catchment area including
Examples
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The government is developing strategies to manage the catchment area to protect local wildlife and ensure clean water.
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A high priority should also be given to preventive actions, such as protection of the catchment areas of water sources.
Academic text (2010) -
On average, the characteristics of participants were similar to those of the school catchment areas in which they lived.
Academic text (2000) -
We collected data for this study in a Bronx, New York, hospital emergency department that serves a catchment area of 1.1 million residents.
Academic text (2011) -
The boundaries of the catchment area, including any smaller subcatchment units, must be determined.
Academic text (1991) -
The catchment area is determined every year by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.
Academic text (2006) -
One of the families who agreed to participate moved out of the county catchment area and withdrew from the study during baseline conditions.
Academic text (2000) -
The program helps to identify environmental problems and prioritize action in the countries of the Baltic catchment area.
Academic text (2000) -
The community sample consisted of randomly selected households in the catchment area of patients seen in the clinic.
Academic text (2009) -
Although 4,000 people live in town, the hospital's geographic catchment area contains 12,000 people.
Academic text (1997)
Synonyms
An area of land where water collects and flows into a river, lake, or sea
An area of land where rain flows into one river
An area of land that collects rain and sends water into a river or reservoir
Land where a river and its streams send water to the same place
A large area of land where all the rain and rivers flow into the same river or sea
Area of land that sends water into a river or lake
An area of land where all rain flows into a river, lake or reservoir
How Large
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an area of land from which precipitation collects and drains' is directly and compositionally derived from 'catchment' (a place where water gathers) plus 'area' (a region). This compound follows a transparent noun+noun pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The noun catchment area comes from the image of catchment meaning land that 'catches' rain and area meaning a place or space. Like a bowl that gathers water and pours it to one river or lake, the catchment area is the place 'where water collects' and flows to the same river or lake.