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Watershed
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What does " reaching a watershed in your life" mean?
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When "watershed" was imported into English around 1800 (directly from the German "Wasserscheide"), it meant an elevated ridge or mountain range that divides two river systems. The rain falling on one side of such a hill ends up in one river, on the other in another. Used as a metaphor since the late 19th century, this sense of "watershed" has meant a dividing line, often a moment in time marking a momentous transition, as the Reagan presidency might be said, for better or worse, to have marked a "watershed" in American politics. This figurative use of "watershed" to mean "epochal moment" is widely heard in Great Britain.
In the U.S., however, there is a slightly different use of "watershed" in a technical sense to mean "the drainage area (often mountain forests) feeding a river or other water system." This has led to the metaphorical use of "watershed" in America to mean "an experience or event which produces profound effects later on," much as heavy rains in the mountains may lead to floods later on in the valley below. In this sense, growing up in suburbia might be said to have been a "watershed experience" for many modern American writers.
( With thanks to The Word Detective )
In the U.S., however, there is a slightly different use of "watershed" in a technical sense to mean "the drainage area (often mountain forests) feeding a river or other water system." This has led to the metaphorical use of "watershed" in America to mean "an experience or event which produces profound effects later on," much as heavy rains in the mountains may lead to floods later on in the valley below. In this sense, growing up in suburbia might be said to have been a "watershed experience" for many modern American writers.
( With thanks to The Word Detective )
the watershed is the highest point, or line, in a mountain range: rain that falls on one side of the line will run off in one direction; on the other side of the line, in the other direction. So it's the point where you decide which road to take - a turning point, as pega said. It's often used of the past - somebody reached a watershed in their life - rather than the present, so it sort of suggests you might not actually recognise the watershed when you're there but will realise you've been there and changed your life later on.
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