debouch

plural debouches

1. geographyA narrow outlet from which a body of water pours.

   In level portions of the country vertical shafts are preferred, but where the mine is situated upon a hill a debouch may often be found below the sulphur seam, ...

   1888 May 26, Phillip Carroll, “Sulphur Mines in Sicily”, in Scientific American Supplement, number 647

2. governmentA fortress at the end of a defile.

   To prevent another demonstration of this character, and to insure a debouch on the south bank of the James, it became necessary to occupy Coggin's Point, which was done on the 3d, and the enemy driven back towards Petersburg.

   1887, George B. McClellan, McClellan's Own Story

present singular third person debouches · participle present debouching · participle past debouched · past debouched

1. intransitiveTo pour forth from a narrow opening; to emerge from a narrow place like a defile into open country or a wider space.

   The water rushes away in uncommonly long waterfalls, downward for hours, unbrak’d, till at last debouching into an interior Lake of great size.

   1997, Thomas Pynchon, Mason & Dixon

   2 more examples

   The pretty pimpled young man, no longer a boy, came down from the imperial box in his purple to the performers’ well which debouched into the arena.

   1985, Anthony Burgess, Kingdom of the Wicked

   Ungrateful brats debouch from their cheap holiday in someone else’s misery and their tired parents try desperately to summon up joy out of indifference.

   1993, Will Self, My Idea of Fun

   Synonyms: disembogue