Winterborne

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A watercourse that runs only during winter months when rainfall and snowmelt provide sufficient flow
2. A seasonal stream that carries water primarily in winter and dries up or becomes intermittent during warmer months
3. A brook or rivulet that flows chiefly in the winter season and may cease flowing or reduce to a trickle in summer

Etymology: Winterborne is a variant spelling of winterbourne, the name for a stream that runs only in the winter months or after heavy rain, and then dries up. The word is a compound of "winter" and "bourne," the latter an older English term for a stream or brook. Both parts are plain English elements, so the word needs little unpacking beyond that: it describes a watercourse defined by the season rather than by a permanent channel. Chalk country in southern England, where water drains through porous rock, is where such streams are most characteristic, and several place names in that region preserve the word.

Synonyms: winter stream