It works in compression to divert the weight above it out to the sides, where the weight is borne by the vertical elements on either side of the arch.

When they detect an extended dry period, they divert their metabolisms, producing sugars and certain stress-associated proteins and other materials in their tissues.

The government is planning to invest billions in a system of canals, pipelines and aqueducts to divert water from the soggy south to the parched north.