sewer

¹

[soo-er]

noun

1. an artificial conduit, usually underground, for carrying off waste water and refuse, as in a town or city.

verb (used with object)

1. to provide or equip with sewers.

   a tax increase necessary to sewer the neighborhood.

sewer

²

[soh-er]

noun

1. a person or thing that sews.

sewer

³

[soo-er]

noun

1. a former household officer or head servant in charge of the service of the table.

sewer

¹

/ ˈsuːə /

noun

1. a drain or pipe, esp one that is underground, used to carry away surface water or sewage

verb

1. (tr) to provide with sewers

sewer

²

/ ˈsəʊə /

noun

1. a person or thing that sews

sewer

³

/ ˈsuːə /

noun

1. (in medieval England) a servant of high rank in charge of the serving of meals and the seating of guests

Other Word Forms

• sewerless adjective
• sewerlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sewer¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English suer(e) “drainage ditch,” from dialectal Old French se(u)wiere “overflow channel, pond sluice” (compare Old French ess(e)ouer(e) “ditch”), from unrecorded Vulgar Latin exaquāria “drain for carrying water off,” equivalent to Latin ex- “out of, away” + aquāria “pertaining to water” (feminine singular of aquārius ); -ary ( def. ), -er ², sew ²

Origin of sewer²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English sewer(e), souere, sower; sew ¹, -er ¹

Origin of sewer³

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English sever(e), sewerer “attendant who served or tasted his master's food,” shortened form of Anglo-French asseour “one who sets the table, seater,” equivalent to Old French asse(oir) “to seat” (from Latin assidēre “to attend upon”) + -our; assiduous, -or ² )

Word History and Origins

Origin of sewer¹

C15: from Old French esseveur, from essever to drain, from Vulgar Latin exaquāre (unattested), from Latin _ex- ¹ + aqua water

Origin of sewer²

C14: shortened from Anglo-French asseour, from Old French asseoir to cause to sit, from Latin assidēre, from sedēre to sit

Example Sentences

The rat knew the sewers better than anyone, but his short legs couldn’t carry him very fast.

Read more on Literature

Since Bass took office in December 2022, the city also hiked sewer service fees, which are on track to double over a four-year period.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A victim of modern slavery says he was forced to crawl naked through sewers to steal electricity after trusting bogus employers in desperate times.

Read more on BBC

Romero also secured new funding to pay for repairs to the city’s aging sewer system, which will in turn avert future sewage spills, he said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Long before its young heroes think about creeping through the sewers, nightmares confront them in broad daylight.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• gutter 
• septic tank 
• sewage system www.thesaurus.com