A waterproof layer built into a wall, usually near ground level, to prevent moisture from rising up through the building.
Compound of 'damp' (moisture) and 'course' (a horizontal layer of bricks or stone in a wall), from Old English and Old French origins. This term became standard in 19th-century British construction.
Before dampcourses were invented, damp from the ground would creep up walls and rot everything—now it's just a thin layer of special material that keeps whole buildings from falling apart!
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