irrigate

[ ir-i-geyt ]

verb (used with object)

, ir·ri·gat·ed, ir·ri·gat·ing.

1. to supply (land) with water by artificial means, as by diverting streams, flooding, or spraying.
2. Medicine/Medical. to supply or wash (an orifice, wound, etc.) with a spray or a flow of some liquid.
3. to moisten; wet.

irrigate

/ ˈɪrɪˌɡeɪt /

verb

1. to supply (land) with water by means of artificial canals, ditches, etc, esp to promote the growth of food crops
2. med to bathe or wash out a bodily part, cavity, or wound
3. tr to make fertile, fresh, or vital by or as if by watering

Derived Forms

• ˈirrigable, adjective
• ˌirriˈgational, adjective
• ˈirriˌgator, noun
• ˌirriˈgation, noun

Other Words From

• irri·gator noun
• non·irri·gated adjective
• non·irri·gating adjective
• over·irri·gate verb (used with object) overirrigated overirrigating
• re·irri·gate verb (used with object) reirrigated reirrigating
• un·irri·gated adjective
• well-irri·gated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of irrigate¹

1605–15; < Latin irrigātus, past participle of irrigāre to wet, flood, nourish with water, equivalent to ir- ir- ¹ + rigā- (stem of rigāre to provide with water, soak) + -tus past participle suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of irrigate¹

C17: from Latin irrigāre, from rigāre to moisten, conduct water

Example Sentences

Its enormous share of the river, which it uses to irrigate crops across the Imperial Valley and for Los Angeles and other cities, will be in the crosshairs when negotiations over a diminished Colorado begin again.

From ProPublica

Mountain View Estates was paved and irrigated, as per permitted plans, and the electricity to the units was properly metered, and the units themselves were new, with central air conditioning, to efficiently keep cool.

From ProPublica

Consider that we use just 30 trillion gallons to irrigate all our crops.

From Freakonomics

Once these plants take hold, they can be irrigated much less frequently than lawns—maybe once every six weeks if it hasn’t rained.

From Popular-Science

The Kushites survived another thousand years in Meroë, a port city ideally positioned by the Nile, where irrigated farms flourished next to lucrative gold and iron mines.

From Ozy

Treadle water pumps in Africa and Asia allowed women farmers to irrigate small plots and increase their harvests and incomes.

From The Daily Beast

From this cistern large earthen pipes led off in various directions to irrigate the terraces below.

From Project Gutenberg

It is in a hot valley, skirted by a river, which is made to irrigate the gardens and grounds on its borders.

From Project Gutenberg

If water was tapped, it went to irrigate new lands which MacGonigal had added to the ranch.

From Project Gutenberg

It is enormously fertile, but there is only enough water in it to irrigate a limited number of farms.

From Project Gutenberg

His every idea seems hostile to the farmer, whose land the farmer himself is paying him to irrigate.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• inundate
• soak