Plural of catchment; areas of land where water drains into a river, lake, or reservoir.
From 'catch' + '-ment' suffix (forming nouns of action or result), gaining popularity in hydrological and geographical English from the 19th century onward.
Entire countries are divided into catchments—the Mississippi River's catchment is so enormous it drains rainfall from 31 U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces. Engineers monitor catchments because they determine where water goes, where floods happen, and where cities need dams.
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