irrigation

American  

[ir-i-gey-shuhn] / ˌɪr ɪˈgeɪ ʃən /

noun

irrigations plural

1. the artificial application of water to land to assist in the production of crops.

2. Medicine/Medical. the flushing or washing out of anything with water or other liquid.

3. the state of being irrigated.

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irrigation Cultural  

1. Artificial provision of water to sustain growing plants.

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Irrigation accounts for the greatest part of water usage in the western United States.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonirrigation
  noun
• overirrigation
  noun
• preirrigation
  noun
• reirrigation
  noun
• irrigational
  adjective
• preirrigational
  adjective
• proirrigation
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• irrigations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of irrigation

First recorded in 1605–15, irrigation is from the Latin word irrigātiōn- (stem of irrigātiō ). See irrigate, -ion

Explanation

Irrigation is the watering of land to make it ready for agriculture. If you want to start a strawberry farm in the desert, irrigation will be necessary. Irrigation comes from the Latin for "moist" or "wet," but it means the purposeful wetting of something. We wouldn’t really say that a storm provides irrigation (unless we were poetically trying to personify the storm). Irrigation systems are often complex combinations of canals, channels, and hoses. The word irrigation is also used in medicine to describe the process of washing out a wound before dressing it.

Example Sentences

According to minister Fernandez, "around 40 percent of the water used in agriculture could be saved" through public investment in infrastructure and more efficient irrigation methods.

From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026

A dense population, extensive irrigation, abundant moisture and large numbers of outdoor workers combine to create conditions in which even routine labour can become risky.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

“With the rising fuel—needed for irrigation pumping and tractors—and fertilizer prices, there’s even more reluctance to plant multiple cycles.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

The six-bedroom, 6.5-bathroom home was built in 2022 and sits on a private, acre-plus lot with full-yard irrigation and large trees.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026

They could clear another field, dig another irrigation canal, sow more crops.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari