culvert

Definition

A channel crossing under a road or railway for the draining of water.

Etymology

Origin obscure, with a number of possible etymologies suggested: * a dialectal word, * a word related to the name of the now-forgotten inventor, * a derivation from French couvert (“covered”), although couvert is not used in this sense and the French translation of culvert is ponceau or buse de drainage, * a derivation from an unrecorded Dutch word, possibly *coul-vaart, a combination of Dutch coul-, from French couler (“to flow”), and Dutch vaart (“a trip by boat, a canal”).

Example Sentences

• "A raft of twigs stayed upon a stone, suddenly detached itself, and floated towards the culvert."
• "After she left, I ran away for a day, and hid myself, solitary, in a culvert under the railway lines."
• "It was on the leisurely upswing when, 16 years after we bought our house, a woman driving a fancy S.U.V. jumped the culvert, plowed through the hedge, jumped the culvert again and sped off."