debouch

verb

de·​bouch di-ˈbau̇ch How to pronounce debouch (audio) -ˈbüsh How to pronounce debouch (audio)
dē-
debouched; debouching; debouches

transitive verb

: to cause to emerge : discharge

intransitive verb

1
: to march out into open ground
troops debouching from the town
2
: emerge, issue
rivers debouching into the sea
debouchment
di-ˈbau̇ch-mənt How to pronounce debouch (audio)
-ˈbüsh-
dē-
noun

Did you know?

Debouch first appeared in English in the 18th century. It derives from a French verb formed from the prefix de- ("from") and the noun bouche ("mouth"), which itself derives ultimately from the Latin bucca ("cheek"). Debouch is often used in military contexts to refer to the action of troops proceeding from a closed space to an open one. It is also used frequently to refer to the emergence of anything from a mouth, such as water passing through the mouth of a river into an ocean. The word's ancestors have also given English the adjective buccal ("of or relating to the mouth") and the noun embouchure (the mouthpiece of a musical instrument or the position of the mouth when playing one).

Word History

Etymology

French déboucher, from dé- de- + bouche mouth, from Old French boche, from Latin bucca cheek

First Known Use

1745, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of debouch was in 1745

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near debouch

Cite this Entry

“Debouch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debouch. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!