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ditch

  (dĭch) pronunciation
n.

A long narrow trench or furrow dug in the ground, as for irrigation, drainage, or a boundary line.


v., ditched, ditch·ing, ditch·es.

v.tr.
  1. To dig or make a long narrow trench or furrow in.
  2. To surround with a long narrow trench or furrow.
    1. To drive (a vehicle) into a long narrow trench, as one beside a road.
    2. To derail (a train).
  3. Slang.
    1. To get rid of; discard: ditched the old yard furniture.
    2. To get away from (a person, especially a companion).
    3. To discontinue use of or association with: ditch the job at the hamburger stand.
    4. To skip (class or school).
  4. To crash-land (an aircraft) on water.
v.intr.
  1. To dig a ditch.
  2. To crash-land in water. Used of an aircraft or a pilot.

[Middle English dich, from Old English dīc.]


 
 
Thesaurus: ditch

verb

    To let go or get rid of as being useless or defective, for example: discard, dispose of, dump, junk, scrap1, throw away, throw out. Informal chuck, jettison, shuck (off). See keep/release.

 
Antonyms: ditch

v

Definition: get rid of
Antonyms: pick up


 

n
ditching

The undesirable loss of tooth substance in the region of a restoration margin (usually gingival).

 

(DOD) Controlled landing of a distressed aircraft on water.

 
Word Tutor: ditch
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Trenches for carrying away water.

pronunciation The icy patch caused the car to slide off the road and into the ditch.

 
Wikipedia: ditch
Ditches at the Ouse Washes nature reserve.
Enlarge
Ditches at the Ouse Washes nature reserve.

A ditch is usually defined as a small to moderate depression created to channel water. A ditch can be used for drainage, to drain water from low lying areas, alongside roadways or fields, or to channel water from a more distant source for plant irrigation. A trench can be defined as a long narrow ditch. Ditches are commonly seen around farmland especially in areas that have required drainage, such as The Fens in the UK and the pro-water management Netherlands.

Roadside ditches can provide a hazard to motorists, especially in poor weather conditions. It is not an uncommon sight in some rural areas to see cars, motorbikes, or bicycles that have crashed into ditches, or to hear of such accidents.

Sometimes this word is employed as a Halloween word meaning grave as in the 1993 Disney film Hocus Pocus.

Fortification

In military engineering and fortification, a distinction is made between a ditch and a trench. A ditch is an obstacle, designed to slow down or break up an attacking force, while a trench is cover, intended to provide protection to the defenders. In Medieval fortification, a ditch was often constructed in front of a defensive wall to hinder sapping and escalade. When filled with water, such a defensive ditch is called a moat. Later star forts of Vauban and others comprised elaborate networks of ditches and parapets, carefully calculated so that the soil for the raised earthworks was provided, as nearly as possible, entirely by the excavations whilst also maximising defensive firepower. Today ditches are obsolescent as an anti-personnel obstacle, but are still often used as anti-vehicle obstacles (see also berm).


Sustainability of Drainage Ditches

Drainage ditches play major roles in agriculture throughout the world. Improper drainage systems accelerate water contamination, excessively desiccate soils during seasonal drought, and become a financial burden to maintain. Industrial earth moving equipment facilitates maintenance of straight drainage trenches, but entrenchment results in increasing environmental & eventually profound economic costs overtime[1].

Sustainable channel design can result in ditches that are largely self maintaining due to natural geomorphological equilibrium. Slowed net siltation and erosion result in net reduction in sediment transport. Encouraging development of a natural stream sinuosity and a multi-terraced channel cross section appear to be key to maintain both peak ditch drainage capacity, and minimum net pollution and nutrient transport[2].

Flooding can be a major cause of recurring crop loss -- particularly in heavy soils-- and can severely disrupt urban economies as well. Subsurface drainage to ditches offers a way to remove excess water from agricultural fields, or vital urban spaces, without the erosion rates and pollution transport that results from direct surface runoff. However, excess drainage results in recurring drought induced crop yield losses and more severe urban heat or desiccation issues.

Controlled subsurface drainage from sensitive areas to vegetated drainage ditches makes possible a more optimal balance between water drainage and water retention needs. The initial investment, allows a community to draw down local water tables when and where necessary without exacerbating drought problems at other times[3].

References & Related Resources

1. See also hypoxia, dead zone, nonpoint source pollution, desertification, and urban heat island.

2 Geomorphic Characteristics of Drainage Ditches in Southern Minnesota, and the concept of a Two-Stage Ditch Design (Brad Hansen, Bruce Wilson, Joe Magner, and John Nieber) http://d-outlet.coafes.umn.edu/presentations/DrainForum06/J.%20Nieber-2-stage%20ditch%20design.pdf

3 Drainage Water Management Updates (G. Sands) http://d-outlet.coafes.umn.edu/presentations/DrainForum06/G.%20Sands-WTM%20Updates.pdf See also Watertable control


 
Translations: Translations for: Ditch

Dansk (Danish)
n. - grøft, vandløb
v. tr. - afvande, lade i stikken, skaffe sig af med, lande på vandet, køre i grøften, besejre, forpurre, kuldkaste, afspore
v. intr. - grave grøfter, rense grøfter

Nederlands (Dutch)
sloot, wegdoen, afdanken, de bons geven, van afwatering voorzien, frustreren, doen ontsporen

Français (French)
n. - fossé, rigole, douve (autour d'un château), (Aviat) patouille (arg), baille (arg)
v. tr. - laisser tomber (qn), abandonner (une voiture), (US) sécher (des cours), virer (un employé), abandonner (un système, un accord), plaquer (qn), échapper à (la police), faire un amerrissage forcé, (US) emboutir (une voiture)
v. intr. - emboutir, plaquer, (Aviat) faire un amerrissage forcé, creuser (un fossé)

Deutsch (German)
n. - Graben, Wassergraben, Straßengraben
v. - sitzenlassen, aufgeben, auf dem Wasser notlanden

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - χαντάκι, τάφρος, όρυγμα, αυλάκι, καθομ.) νερό ή σόδα ως συμπλήρωμα ποτού
v. - σκάβω τάφρο/χαντάκι, ρίχνω σε χαντάκι, διώχνω, δίνω τα παπούτσια στο χέρι, σχολάω, ξεφορτώνομαι

Italiano (Italian)
sbarazzarsi di, fossato

Português (Portuguese)
n. - vala (f)
v. - abrir valas, drenar

Русский (Russian)
бросить, избавиться, слинять, канава

Español (Spanish)
n. - zanja, cuneta
v. tr. - deshacerse de, hacer una zanja, descarrilar, escapar, abandonar
v. intr. - hacer una zanja, hacerse la rabona, abandonar

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - dike, grav
v. - gräva diken

中文(简体) (Chinese (Simplified))
沟渠, 在...开沟, 掘沟, 作水上迫降

中文(繁體) (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 溝渠
v. tr. - 在...開溝
v. intr. - 掘溝, 作水上迫降

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 배수구, 북해
v. tr. - 배수구를 파다, 따돌리다
v. intr. - 배수구를 파다, (비행기가) 불시 착수하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 溝, 排水溝
v. - 溝を掘る, 溝を巡らす, 溝へ落とす, 脱線させる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) قناة ضيقه للري, مصرف ضيق للمياه (فعل) يتخلص من شئ أو شخص, يترك, يهبط بطائرة هبوط اضطراري فوق الماء‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮תעלה, ערוץ‬
v. tr. - ‮נטש, השליך לתעלה, הנחית על הים‬
v. intr. - ‮חפר תעלה‬


 
 

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Answers Corporation Antonyms. © 1999-2008 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
Dental Dictionary. Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
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eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; free trial Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ditch" Read more
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