English edit

 
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
 
A small river entering a culvert.
 
Culvert headwall

Etymology edit

Origin obscure,[1] with a number of possible etymologies suggested:

  1. a dialectal word,
  2. a word related to the name of the now-forgotten inventor,[1]
  3. 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,
  4. 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).

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈkʌlvə(ɹ)t/
  • (file)

Noun edit

culvert (plural culverts)

  1. A channel crossing under a road or railway for the draining of water.
    • 1922, Virginia Woolf, Jacob's Room, Vintage Classics, paperback edition, page 91
      A raft of twigs stayed upon a stone, suddenly detached itself, and floated towards the culvert.
    • 1996, Janette Turner Hospital, Oyster, paperback edition, Virago Press, page 167:
      After she left, I ran away for a day, and hid myself, solitary, in a culvert under the railway lines.

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

Verb edit

culvert (third-person singular simple present culverts, present participle culverting, simple past and past participle culverted)

  1. To channel (a stream of water) through a culvert.
    • 2020, Ben Aaronovitch, False Value, Gollancz, pages 234–235:
      This led to a great deal of straightening and culverting, which in turn led to a massive loss of biodiversity.

References edit

  1. 1.0 1.1 Douglas Harper (2001–2024), “culvert”, in Online Etymology Dictionary, retrieved 3 October 2020.

Middle English edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

From Old French colvert, from Late Latin collībertus.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈkulvɛrt/, /ˈkulward/

Adjective edit

culvert

  1. vile, nefarious

References edit