outfall

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English outfallen, equivalent to out- +‎ fall. Compare Dutch uitvallen (“to fall out, sally”), German ausfallen (“to fall out, lunge”), Swedish utfalla (“to fall out”).

Verb

outfall (third-person singular simple present outfalls, present participle outfalling, simple past outfell, past participle outfallen)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To burst forth, as upon an enemy; make a sally.

Etymology 2

From out- +‎ fall. Compare Dutch uitval (“outburst, sally, eruption”), German Ausfall (“falling out, sally”), Swedish utfall (“sally, issue”).

Noun

outfall (plural outfalls)

1. (obsolete) A sudden eruption of troops from a fortified place; sally.
2. (dialectal) A quarrel; a falling out.
3. The point or place of discharge of a river, drain, culvert, sewer, etc.; mouth; embouchure.
   • 1961 October, Voyageur, “The Cockermouth, Keswick & Penrith Railway”, in Trains Illustrated, page 601:

     West of Keswick a short descent at 1 in 122 brings the train down to the low-lying and marshy ground between Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake and to the crossing of the Derwent - the outfall from Derwentwater, [...].

   • 2014 October 18, Matt Weiser, “Could desalination solve California’s water problem?”, in The Sacramento Bee‎^[1], retrieved 20150315:

     The rules focus primarily on two crucial operating features: seawater intakes and outfalls.

Derived terms

• flapped outfall
• outfall sewer
• sea outfall

Anagrams

• fall out, fall-out, fallout