outfall

Pronunciation

(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈaʊtˌfɔl/
(cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈaʊtˌfɑl/
Audio (US): (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle English outfallen, equivalent to out- +‎ fall. Compare Dutch uitvallen (“to fall out, sally”), German ausfallen (“to fall out, lunge”), Swedish utfalla (“to fall out”).

Verb

outfall (third-person singular simple present outfalls, present participle outfalling, simple past outfell, past participle outfallen)

(transitive, obsolete) To burst forth, as upon an enemy; make a sally.

Etymology 2

From out- +‎ fall. Compare Dutch uitval (“outburst, sally, eruption”), German Ausfall (“falling out, sally”), Swedish utfall (“sally, issue”).

Noun

outfall (plural outfalls)

(obsolete) A sudden eruption of troops from a fortified place; sally.
(dialectal) A quarrel; a falling out.
The point or place of discharge of a river, drain, culvert, sewer, etc.; mouth; embouchure.
- 1961 October, Voyageur, “The Cockermouth, Keswick & Penrith Railway”, in Trains Illustrated, page 601:
  West of Keswick a short descent at 1 in 122 brings the train down to the low-lying and marshy ground between Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake and to the crossing of the Derwent - the outfall from Derwentwater, [...].
- 2014 October 18, Matt Weiser, “Could desalination solve California’s water problem?”, in The Sacramento Bee‎, retrieved 20150315:
  The rules focus primarily on two crucial operating features: seawater intakes and outfalls.

Derived terms

flapped outfall
outfall sewer
sea outfall

Anagrams

fall out, fall-out, fallout