waterspout

[ waw-ter-spout, wot-er- ]
/ ˈwɔ tərˌspaʊt, ˈwɒt ər- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR waterspout ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Also called rainspout. a pipe running down the side of a house or other building to carry away water from the gutter of the roof.
a spout, duct, or the like, from which water is discharged.
a funnel-shaped or tubular portion of a cloud over the ocean or other body of water that, laden with mist and spray, resembles a solid column of water reaching upward to the cloud from which it hangs. Compare tornado(def 1).

Origin of waterspout

1350–1400; 1730–40 for def 3; Middle English; see water, spout

Words nearby waterspout

watershed, watershed infarction, waterside, watersider, watersport, waterspout, watertight, waterton lakes national park, waterton-glacier international peace park, watertown, waterville

Words related to waterspout

whirlwind, whirlpool, spiral, eddy, whirl, gyre, tornado, cyclone, twister, tourbillion

Example sentences from the Web for waterspout

British Dictionary definitions for waterspout

waterspout
/ (ˈwɔːtəˌspaʊt) /

noun

meteorol
  1. a tornado occurring over water that forms a column of water and mist extending between the surface and the clouds above
  2. a sudden downpour of heavy rain
a pipe or channel through which water is discharged, esp one used for drainage from the gutters of a roof