sinkagen.

1783 N. Whitaker Reward of Toryism 27 These tory-merchants..will probably be secured by the British court, for sinkage on their goods.

1883 Harper's Mag. Jan. 174/1 When they lean sideways, they admit the mouldering pile beneath, and own to the sinkage.

1889 J. J. Welch Text Bk. Naval Archit. i. 11 In this way also could be found out the sinkage due to putting weights of moderate amount into the ship.

1891 Pall Mall Gaz. 23 Oct. 5/1 The buoyancy of the timber in resisting sinkage when butted against.

1913 Naut. Mag. Sept. 210 When a vessel had to be ballasted for a voyage,..whatever waste material might be available was shipped in order to obtain the required sinkage necessary for safe navigation.

1957 Contractors & Engineers Mag. May 9 A mathematical formula..allows a person, knowing the characteristics of a given soil, to calculate the sinkage of a piece of equipment carrying a load over that soil.

2001 Guardian 7 Aug. ii. 9/4 Costumes were so heavy that anything other than paddling in the shallows meant death by sinkage.

1882 Amer. Architect & Building News 30 Dec. 311/2 Two small sinkages in the pavement of the pronaos, or vestibule, probably mark the positions of..pedestals.

1932 Liturg. Arts Oct. 159/2 By making v-shaped sinkages in the four corners of a square bar, it is converted into the form of a Maltese cross.

1982 Proc. Soc. Antiquaries Scotl. 112 347 The E side of this sinkage was lined with a sub-rectangular arrangement of clay-bonded stones.