Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
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noun
A temporary watertight enclosure used to create a dry foundation for building bridges and other structures over water.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: coffer, caisson
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: enclosure, barrier, dam, structure, protection
noun
An empty space that acts as a protective barrier between two floors or bulkheads on a ship.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: nautical, transport
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Synonym of dental dam (“barrier to keep the teeth dry during dental work”) (dental sense).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
Topics: dentistry, medicine, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: dental dam
Antonyms: none provided
noun
large watertight chamber used for construction under water
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: caisson, pneumatic caisson
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: chamber
History
From coffer + dam. The dental dam sense was introduced in English by dentist Sanford Christie Barnum at New York City in 1864 (by metaphor), but after his century it was maintained only in languages other than English (for example, German Kofferdam as a loanword from 19th-century English).
Across languages
11 source translations are retained for this English entry.
