DCHP-2

flowage DCHP-2 (October 2016)

• n. — Geography

  a lake formed by the overflowing of a river.

  Type: 5. Frequency — The term is found in DARE, s.v. "flowage" (2), and AHD-5, s.v. "flowage" (2b), with attestations of this meaning appearing as early as 1879 (see DARE, s.v. "flowage" (2)). COD-2 lists a Canadian meaning in the Maritimes of 'small pond', which we cannot confirm. However, the more specific meaning, i.e. ponds or lakes formed by overflow, is most frequent in Canada (see Chart 1).
  See also COD-2, s.v. "flowage" (1), which is marked "Cdn (Maritimes)".

  • Not to be confused with the use of flowage as referring to a river, such as in this 1992 example from the Montreal Gazette:
    "Further west, anglers fishing the Niagara River have hit a bonanza of steelies. It's been said before that this giant flowage, by which Lake Erie dumps its water into Lake Ontario, currently provides the best steelhead fishing to be found anywhere east of the Rockies, but this year, that superlative is doubly true." (28 Feb. 1992: C2)