Adjacent Words

water table definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: underground surface below which the ground is wholly saturated with water; "spring rains had raised the water table" [syn: water table, water level, groundwater level]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 15th century 1. a stringcourse or similar member when projecting so as to throw off water 2. the upper limit of the portion of the ground wholly saturated with water

Britannica Concise

Surface of a body of underground water below which the soil or rocks are permanently saturated with water. The water table separates the groundwater zone (zone of saturation) that lies below it from the zone of aeration that lies above it. The water table fluctuates both with the seasons and from year to year because it is affected by climatic variations and by the amount of precipitation used by vegetation. It also is affected by withdrawing excessive amounts of water from wells or by recharging them artificially. See also aquifer.Facilities for the collection, treatment, storage, and distribution of w

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Water table Wa"ter ta"ble (Arch.) A molding, or other projection, in the wall of a building, to throw off the water, -- generally used in the United States for the first table above the surface of the ground (see Table, n., 9), that is, for the table at the top of the foundation and the beginning of the upper wall.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Water table Water table (Hydraulic Engin.) The upper limit of the portion of the ground wholly saturated with water. The water table may be within a few inches of the surface or many feet below it.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(water tables) The water table is the level below the surface of the ground where water can be found. Environmentalists say that diverting water from the river will lower the water table and dry out wells. N-COUNT: usu the N