banzáu

Asturian

FWOTD – 18 December 2014

Etymology

Cognate with Galician banzado.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /banˈθau̯/ [bãn̟ˈθau̯]
  • Rhymes: -au̯
  • Syllabification: ban‧záu

Noun

banzáu m (plural banzaos)

  1. an irrigation canal with water diverted from a river
    • María Esther García López, Toponimia: Valdés, Academia de la Llingua Asturiana, page 9:
      [] ; riégase con agua d’un banzáu.
      [] ; it is irrigated with water from an irrigation canal.
  2. a dam used to divert water from a river
    • Roberto González-Quevedo González, L’espaciu agrariu en Palacios del Sil, in 2002, Cultures, 11, Academia de la Llingua Asturiana, page 356:
      L’oxetivu del banzáu que se fai nel ríu yía embalsar l’augua (chámase tamién banzáu a la masa d’augua que s’axunta pola mor de la paré de piedra).
      The point of the diversion dam built in a river is to dam the water (the mass of water that collects because of the stone wall is also called banzáu).