General definition

General definition of flood as available in text books of hydrology is “an unusually high stage in a river – normally the level at which the river overflows its banks and inundates the adjoining area”.

Some definitions available on web in the context of water flow are quoted below:

·  The rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land; "plains fertilized by annual inundations"
·  Cover with liquid, usually water; "The swollen river flooded the village";
·  A large flow
·  The act of flooding; filling to overflowing
·  Flood tide: the occurrence of incoming water (between a low tide and the following high tide);
·  Become filled to overflowing; "Our basement flooded during the heavy rains"
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

·  The temporary inundation of normally dry land areas resulting from the overflowing of the natural or artificial confines of a river or other body of water.
www.grid.unep.ch/product/publication/freshwater_europe/glos.php

·  The inundation of a normally dry area caused by high flow, or overflow of water in an established watercourse, such as a river, stream, or drainage ditch; or ponding of water at or near the point where the rain fell. ...
www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/append/glossary_f.htm

·  High flow, overflow or inundation of a normally dry area which causes or threatens damage.
ggweather.com/glossary.htm

·  Stream flow greater than the channel can contain
www.pskf.ca/publications/glossary.html

·  An event during which the volume of water in a stream becomes so great that it covers areas outside the stream’s normal channel.
www2.wwnorton.com/college/geo/earth2/glossary/f.htm

·  An overflowing of water beyond the channel’s capacity.
www.oas.org/cdmp/document/mitiplan/mitgloss.doc

·  Where a river overspills its banks and spreads out on the valley floor.
www.swgfl.org.uk/rivers/WaterWheel.htm

·  Any flow that exceeds the bankfull capacity of a stream or channel and flows out of the floodplain; greater than bankfull discharge.
buttecreekwatershed.org/ecr/new/glossary.htm