hydropathy

American  

[hahy-drop-uh-thee] / haɪˈdrɒp ə θi /

noun

1. the curing of disease by the internal and external use of water.

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hydropathy British  

/ haɪˈdrɒpəθɪ, ˌhaɪdrəʊˈpæθɪk /

noun

1. Also called: water cure.  a pseudoscientific method of treating disease by the use of large quantities of water both internally and externally Compare hydrotherapy

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Other Word Forms

• hydropath noun
• hydropathic adjective
• hydropathical adjective
• hydropathist noun

Etymology

Origin of hydropathy

First recorded in 1835–45; hydro- ¹ + -pathy

Example Sentences

I try to find the "warm swimming baths" that the guide promises me - Matlock was known as the home of hydropathy - but Hartwell explains that today they've been transformed into an aquarium.

From BBC • Dec. 27, 2017

Graham advocated baths and cleanliness in general to preserve health; hydropathy, or water cures for various ailments, became popular in the United States in the 1840s and 1850s.

From Textbooks • Dec. 30, 2014

As a result, hydropathy provided a refuge for progressive women, and many of America’s first generation of female doctors came out of hydropathy.

From Slate • Feb. 10, 2014

These societal assumptions could not help but influence perceptions about irregular health systems, particularly those like hydropathy and homeopathy where women took active leadership roles.

From Salon • Jan. 19, 2014

As if this were not enough, he would gulp down such draughts of snow-water as distance any achievement on record in the annals of hydropathy.

From History of the Reign of Philip the Second, King of Spain, Vols. 1 and 2 by Prescott, William Hickling