runoff

runoff
/run"awf', -of'/, n.
1. something that drains or flows off, as rain that flows off from the land in streams.
2. a final contest held to determine a victor after earlier contests have eliminated the weaker contestants.
3. a deciding final contest held after one in which there has been no decisive victor, as between two contestants who have tied for first place.
4. Also called rundown. a continual or prolonged reduction, esp. in quantity or supply: a runoff in bank deposits; a sharp runoff in business inventories.
5. Stock Exchange. the final prices appearing on the ticker after the closing bell is rung for the trading day.
[1850-55, Amer.; n. use of v. phrase run off; (def. 2, 3) see -OFF]

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      in hydrology, quantity of water discharged in surface streams. Runoff includes not only the waters that travel over the land surface and through channels to reach a stream but also interflow, the water that infiltrates the soil surface and travels by means of gravity toward a stream channel (always above the main groundwater level) and eventually empties into the channel. Runoff also includes groundwater that is discharged into a stream; streamflow that is composed entirely of groundwater is termed base flow, or fair-weather runoff, and it occurs where a stream channel intersects the water table.

      The total runoff is equal to the total precipitation less the losses caused by evapotranspiration (loss to the atmosphere from soil surfaces and plant leaves), storage (as in temporary ponds), and other such abstractions.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • runoff — (n.) also run off, precipitation water drained by streams and rivers, 1887, from RUN (Cf. run) (v.) + OFF (Cf. off). Meaning deciding race after a tie is from 1873; electoral sense is attested by 1910, Amer.Eng …   Etymology dictionary

  • runoff — [run′ôf΄] n. ☆ 1. something that runs off, as rain in excess of the amount absorbed by the ground 2. a deciding, final race, election, etc. as in case of a tie …   English World dictionary

  • Runoff — Run off or runoff may refer to:* Surface runoff, the flow of water, from rain, snowmelt, or other sources, over land * Runoff model (reservoir), a mathematical model describing the rainfall runoff relations of a rainfall catchment area or… …   Wikipedia

  • runoff — noun a) That portion of precipitation or irrigation on an area which does not infiltrate or evaporate, but instead is discharged from the area.<! That which is lost without entering the soil is called surface runoff. That which enters the soil …   Wiktionary

  • runoff — UK [ˈrʌnɒf] / US [ˈrʌnɔf] noun Word forms runoff : singular runoff plural runoffs 1) [uncountable] science a flow of water or chemicals from one place to another, especially when this damages the environment 2) [countable] a second election or… …   English dictionary

  • runoff — Synonyms and related words: bout, by election, caucus, closed primary, congressional election, contest, contested election, decathlon, defluxion, direct primary, discharge, double header, doubles, drain, drainage, effluence, efflux, effluxion,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • runoff — precipitation that flows across the ground and enters streams, rivers and lakes; may carry pollutants. Also used for the total discharge of a stream, both surface and subsurface, over a given time period. Defined as the depth to which a drainage… …   Dictionary of ichthyology

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