Noun

(en noun)

A river flood; an overflow or inundation.

* 17thC , '', from a Latin original, published in ''Collected works of Sir Thomas Browne (1836),

Only let your language match your subject, then it will be shapely and free; but take care all the time not to overwhelm your work in a spate of words to attain the fluency of Isaeus; and that it slip not out too freely, avoid the danger of Strada.

* c.1856-1885 , ,

The last tall son of Lot and Bellicent,

And tallest, Gareth, in a showerful spring

Stared at the spate . A slender-shafted Pine

Lost footing, fell, and so was whirled away.

* 1900 , ,

At Odendaal, where he had hoped to cross, the river was in spate , the British flag waved from a post upon the further side, and a strong force of expectant Guardsmen eagerly awaited him there.

* 1902 , ,

The glacial drip was already in evidence, and every creek in roaring spate .

* 1910 , ,

At the edge of the burn, where the path turns downward, there is a patch of shingle washed up by some spate .

A sudden rush or increase.

* 1887 , '', in ''The Merry Men and Other Tales and Fables ,

He couldnae weel tell how - maybe it was the cauld to his feet - but it cam' in upon him wi' a spate that there was some connection between thir twa, an' that either or baith o' them were bogles.

* 1964 , United States Supreme Court, ,

The spate of similar cases filed and decided by lower courts since our decision in Baker [v. Carr] amply shows that the problem of state legislative malapportionment is one that is perceived to exist in a large number of the States.

* 2009 April, ,

A recent spate of controversies, including Chinese mineral giant Chinalco’s Rio Tinto bid and revelations of hushed meetings between the Chinese propaganda chief and Australian media bosses, have once again brought the issue of our deepening relationship with China to the fore.

* '>citation

Noun

(en noun)

A flood resulting from heavy rain or a spring thaw.

* 1831', Log after log is hauled to the bank of the river, and in a short time their first raft is made on the shore and loaded with cordwood. When the next '''freshet sets it afloat, it is secured by long grapevines or cables until, the proper time being arrived, the husband and sons embark on it and float down the mighty stream. —

* {{quote-book, year=1913, author=

, title=Lord Stranleigh Abroad , chapter=4 citation , passage=“My father had ideas about conservation long before the United States took it up.

(poetic) A small stream, especially one flowing into the sea.

* 1936', Between the kerbs and the snow-banks a '''freshet''' of clear blue water rises. Within me a '''freshet that chokes the narrow gorge of my veins. — Henry Miller, ''Black Spring

* 1959', We may find a dozen big catfish lying in the belly of the net, or a couple of walleyed pike, or some other kind of fresh-water fish. A '''freshet brought them down, and they were making their way back up the river, and they hit the net." — Joseph Mitchell, ''The Rivermen