Civil Engineering Vocabulary

noun the act of flowing towards; an influx or influx

• The afflux of funds into the project helped expedite its completion.
• The sudden afflux of visitors to the town caused quite a commotion.
• I wasn't expecting such a huge afflux of people at the party last night.
• The afflux of emotions overwhelmed her as she watched the sunset.

noun a machine that converts energy into mechanical force or motion

• The engine of the car is designed to provide optimal performance.
• I heard the engine of that motorcycle roaring down the street.
• Let's rev up the engine and hit the road!
• Education is often seen as the engine that drives societal progress.

noun the action of one surface or object rubbing against another

• The friction between the two parties has hindered progress in the negotiations.
• There's always some friction between siblings when sharing a room.
• I can feel the friction between them whenever they're in the same room.
• The friction between tradition and progress is evident in this debate.

noun a hole, usually with a cover, through which a person can enter a sewer, tunnel, or other underground structure

• The city workers were inspecting the manhole covers for any signs of damage.
• Be careful not to step on that manhole, it's not secure.
• Watch out for that manhole, you might fall in!
• He felt like he was stuck in a manhole of debt with no way out.

noun a rapid transit system in an urban area, consisting of underground tunnels, elevated structures, and sometimes at-grade routes

• The metro system in the city is known for its efficiency and reliability.
• Let's take the metro to get to the concert on time.
• I love riding the metro because it's so chill.
• She navigated through the challenges of life like a seasoned metro commuter.

verb to cover a surface with a hard, flat material such as concrete or asphalt

• The city council decided to invest in paved roads to improve the infrastructure.
• I love riding my bike on freshly paved roads.
• The new skate park has some really smooth paved areas to ride on.
• Her dedication and hard work paved the way for her success.

noun the act or process of percolating or filtering

• The process of percolation is crucial in studying the flow of liquids through porous materials.
• I learned about percolation in my science class - it's like how coffee drips through a filter.
• I can't believe how fast that gossip percolated through the office!
• Ideas percolate in my mind before I finally come up with a solution.

adjective allowing liquids or gases to pass through; permeable

• The pervious pavement allows rainwater to seep through and replenish the groundwater.
• I prefer pervious concrete for my driveway because it helps with drainage.
• The new parking lot is made of that cool pervious stuff that lets the water drain away.
• His mind was pervious to new ideas, always open to different perspectives.

noun a tall structure or tower used for carrying electric cables or other forms of communication

• The electrical pylon stood tall against the backdrop of the city skyline.
• I saw a bunch of birds perched on top of that pylon over there.
• Hey, let's go hang out by the pylon and chill for a bit.
• The pylon of success in her career was finally within reach.

noun a wide way leading from one place to another, especially one with a specially prepared surface that vehicles can use

adjective relating to or used for roads

• The construction crew worked diligently to repair the damaged road.
• Let's take a drive down the scenic road and enjoy the view.
• I can't believe we just hit the open road without a plan!
• Life is like a road with twists and turns, you never know what's around the corner.

noun the process of liquid slowly leaking or oozing out of something

• The engineer identified seepage in the foundation of the building.
• There's some seepage coming through the cracks in the wall.
• I can't believe there's seepage in my basement, it's such a pain.
• The rumors began to seepage into every corner of the office.

noun the process of becoming less strong or widespread

• The building suffered from subsidence due to the unstable foundation.
• The house is sinking because of subsidence issues.
• The ground is caving in, probably because of subsidence.
• Her confidence experienced a subsidence after the criticism she received.

noun a place or region close to the shore or coastline

• The company decided to outsource some of its operations to a nearshore location to reduce costs.
• Let's take a trip to a nearshore island for the weekend.
• I heard there's a cool nearshore spot where we can hang out and surf.
• The project is currently in a nearshore phase, meaning we are close to completion.

noun a sluice or gate that controls the flow of water in a dyke or levee

• The aboideau was built to control the flow of water in the irrigation system.
• We need to make sure the aboideau is working properly before the next heavy rain.
• I heard they're fixing up the aboideau down by the creek.
• She built an emotional aboideau to protect herself from getting hurt again.

noun a unit of volume commonly used in the United States in reference to large-scale water resources, equal to the volume of water needed to cover one acre of land to a depth of one foot

• The reservoir has a capacity of 10,000 acre-feet of water.
• The lake can hold about 10,000 acre-feet of water.
• That dam can store a whole bunch of acre-feet.
• Her love for him was as deep as an acre-foot of water.