A vocabulary of landscape — a landscape of words
1467 entries
watershed
The entire area of land that drains water to a single point, like a river, a lake, a confluence. Also known as a catchment basin, which is easier to visualize. Watersheds are natural units of hydrology and knowing which one you live in is a good place to start learning your home ground.
Etymology
English compound, modeled on German wasserscheide — wasser (water) + scheide (divide, parting).
Notes
The Environmental Protection Agency’s How’s My Waterway website is the fastest way to find yours. Just enter your zip code.