aquifer

[ ak-wuh-fer ]

noun

1. any geological formation containing or conducting groundwater, especially one that supplies the water for wells, springs, etc.

aquifer

/ ˈækwɪfə /

noun

1. a porous deposit of rock, such as a sandstone, containing water that can be used to supply wells

aquifer

/ ăk′wə-fər /

1. An underground layer of permeable rock, sediment (usually sand or gravel), or soil that yields water. The pore spaces in aquifers are filled with water and are interconnected, so that water flows through them. Sandstones, unconsolidated gravels, and porous limestones make the best aquifers. They can range from a few square kilometers to thousands of square kilometers in size.

Word History and Origins

Origin of aquifer¹

First recorded in 1900–05; probably from French aquifère (adjective); aqui-, -fer

Example Sentences

Farmers, for instance, have been pumping lots of groundwater from aquifers for irrigation.

From Science News For Students

They also noted in an urgent report to a manager that a number of bad wells had been left unfixed for years, and posed “immediate” risks to drinking water aquifers.

From ProPublica

Water levels are running dangerously low in rivers, reservoirs, and aquifers across much of the American West, raising serious dangers of shortages, fallowed agricultural fields, and extreme wildfires in the coming months.

From MIT Technology Review

The wells, investigators wrote in a report to a manager, posed “immediate” risks to drinking water aquifers.

From ProPublica

With each week that passed, tiny contaminants in the ash pond seeped through soil under the pond and into an underground aquifer, according to company filings.

From ProPublica

Palestinians are only allowed to dig wells 150 meters deep, but Israelis dig to the aquifer.

From The Daily Beast

In west-central Kansas, up to a fifth of the irrigated farmland along a 100-mile swath of the aquifer has already gone dry.

From The Daily Beast

I frequently refer to the Ogallala Aquifer, which is the largest in the High Plains system.

From The Daily Beast

Vast stretches of Texas farmland lying over the aquifer no longer support irrigation.

From The Daily Beast

Refilling the aquifer would require hundreds, if not thousands, of years of rains.

From The Daily Beast

The aquifer dips toward the region of the wells from higher ground, where it outcrops and receives its water.

From Project Gutenberg

Which will supply the larger region with artesian wells, an aquifer whose dip is steep or one whose dip is gentle?

From Project Gutenberg

And we know just what the strata formations are both below the reservoir and in the aquifer downstream.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• water level