Debouch first appeared in English in the 18th century. It derives from a French verb formed from the prefix de- (“from”) and the noun bouche (“mouth”), which itself derives ultimately from the Latin bucca (“cheek”). Debouch is often used in military contexts to refer to the action of troops proceeding from a closed space to an open one. It is also used frequently to refer to the emergence of anything from a mouth, such as water passing through the mouth of a river into an ocean. The word’s ancestors have also given English the adjective buccal (“of or relating to the mouth”) and the noun embouchure (the mouthpiece of a musical instrument or the position of the mouth when playing one).

Examples

“… Mr. Holcomb … was talking about a small room that debouched from a well-maintained weight room in the basement….” — Barry Stringfellow, The MV Times (Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts), 15 Mar. 2017

“… the Germans controlled the Marfée and the other ridges along the west bank, debouching on to the Bulson plateau beyond.” — David Reynolds, The New Statesman, 20 May 2020