watershed
noun
wa·ter·shed
ˈwȯ-tər-ˌshed
ˈwä-
plural watersheds
1
a
: a dividing ridge between drainage areas : divide entry 2
The watershed of the Himalayas does not lie along the line of its highest peaks, as in most mountain ranges, but about a hundred miles farther north.—Frits Staal
b
: a region or area bounded peripherally by a divide and draining ultimately to a particular watercourse or body of water
the Mississippi River watershed
2
: a crucial dividing point, line, or factor : turning point
This year marked a watershed for contemporary classical music in the city.—The Chicago Tribune
The spring of 1949 was, in general, a watershed in Joe Liebling's life.—Raymond Sokolov
The death of Ugandan teacher Gregory Byaruhanga at the hands of the Kenyan police has marked a watershed in the rising tension in the region and in the instability of the Kenyan regime.—Victoria Brittain
—often used before another nouna watershed moment
a watershed event
The watershed year for science fiction must be 1968, when Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey appeared, not only dramatically expanding for this kind of motion picture the potentials of film technology, but making science fiction a vehicle for both poetic vision and metaphysical exploration.—Ira Konigsberg
3
British
: the time of day after which television programs not appropriate for children may be broadcast
the nine o'clock watershed
4
medical
: an area of tissue (as of the brain or colon) that is located at the periphery of two separate arterial systems, is dependent on both for blood supply, and may be poorly perfused and vulnerable to ischemia
—usually used before another noun
Brain imaging of patients with vascular dementia typically show small strokes or poor blood supply deep in the brain, at the natural terminal (the so-called watershed area) of the blood vessel.—Renee Meyer
… cell death caused by blocked blood flow in the brain's "watershed" region, where two arteries supply blood.—Susan Scutti
see also watershed infarction
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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