Search Result for "spate": 
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (3)

1. (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent;
- Example: "a batch of letters"
- Example: "a deal of trouble"
- Example: "a lot of money"
- Example: "he made a mint on the stock market"
- Example: "see the rest of the winners in our huge passel of photos"
- Example: "it must have cost plenty"
- Example: "a slew of journalists"
- Example: "a wad of money"
[syn: batch, deal, flock, good deal, great deal, hatful, heap, lot, mass, mess, mickle, mint, mountain, muckle, passel, peck, pile, plenty, pot, quite a little, raft, sight, slew, spate, stack, tidy sum, wad]

2. a sudden forceful flow;
[syn: rush, spate, surge, upsurge]

3. the occurrence of a water flow resulting from sudden rain or melting snow;
[syn: freshet, spate]



The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Spate \Spate\, n. [Of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. speid.]
   A river flood; an overflow or inundation. --Burns.
   [1913 Webster]

         Gareth in a showerful spring
         Stared at the spate.                     --Tennyson.
   [1913 Webster]


WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

spate
    n 1: (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or
         extent; "a batch of letters"; "a deal of trouble"; "a lot
         of money"; "he made a mint on the stock market"; "see the
         rest of the winners in our huge passel of photos"; "it must
         have cost plenty"; "a slew of journalists"; "a wad of
         money" [syn: batch, deal, flock, good deal, great
         deal, hatful, heap, lot, mass, mess, mickle,
         mint, mountain, muckle, passel, peck, pile,
         plenty, pot, quite a little, raft, sight, slew,
         spate, stack, tidy sum, wad]
    2: a sudden forceful flow [syn: rush, spate, surge,
       upsurge]
    3: the occurrence of a water flow resulting from sudden rain or
       melting snow [syn: freshet, spate]