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Pothole vs Posthole - What's the difference?

pothole | posthole |

In archaeology|lang=en terms the difference between pothole and posthole

is that pothole is (archaeology) a pit resulting from unauthorized excavation by treasure hunters or vandals while posthole is (archaeology) a cut feature used to hold a surface timber or stone, usually much deeper than it is wide.

As nouns the difference between pothole and posthole

is that pothole is a shallow pit or other edged depression in a road's surface, especially when caused by erosion by weather or traffic or pothole can be (archaeology) a pit resulting from unauthorized excavation by treasure hunters or vandals while posthole is (archaeology) a cut feature used to hold a surface timber or stone, usually much deeper than it is wide.

pothole

English

Etymology 1

c 1826, from (etyl) + (hole)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A shallow pit or other edged depression in a road's surface, especially when caused by erosion by weather or traffic.
  • A pit formed in the bed of a turbulent stream.
  • * The earliest ideas on the creation of potholes''' are that they were associated with "moulins de glacier" (glacier mills) formed where surface streams on glaciers and ice sheets fall into holes in the ice. Water entering these surficial holes was believed to impact on the bedrock beneath creating a large '''pothole'''. The "Moulin Hypothesis", first suggested in 1874, continued to be accepted by many authors until the 1950s. However, commencing in the 1930s, other authors have suggested dissatisfaction with the moulin hypothesis, largely on the grounds that it failed to explain how ice could remain stable long enough for the "giant" '''potholes''' to form and why many '''potholes (like those at Rockwood) were present in large numbers. Grand River Conservation Authority (Canada) Newsletter of May-June 2002.
  • (geology) A vertical cave system, often found in limestone.
  • Synonyms
    * (large pit in the bed of a stream) giant kettle
    Derived terms
    * potholing

    See also

    * sinkhole

    Etymology 2

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (archaeology) A pit resulting from unauthorized excavation by treasure hunters or vandals.
  • posthole

    English

    Noun

    (en noun) (wikipedia posthole)
  • (archaeology) A cut feature used to hold a surface timber or stone, usually much deeper than it is wide.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2007, date=January 31, author=John Noble Wilford, title=Village May Have Housed Builders of Stonehenge, work=New York Times citation
  • , passage=Indentations in the floor were interpreted as postholes and slots that once anchored wooden furniture. }}