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irrigate

[ ir-i-geyt ]
/ ˈɪr ɪˌgeɪt /
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See synonyms for: irrigate / irrigated on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), ir·ri·gat·ed, ir·ri·gat·ing.
to supply (land) with water by artificial means, as by diverting streams, flooding, or spraying.
Medicine/Medical. to supply or wash (an orifice, wound, etc.) with a spray or a flow of some liquid.
to moisten; wet.
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Origin of irrigate

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

OTHER WORDS FROM irrigate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use irrigate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for irrigate

irrigate
/ (ˈɪrɪˌɡeɪt) /

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

Derived forms of irrigate

irrigable, adjectiveirrigation, nounirrigational or irrigative, adjectiveirrigator, noun

Word Origin for irrigate

C17: from Latin irrigāre, from rigāre to moisten, conduct water
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for irrigate

irrigate
[ ĭrĭ-gāt′ ]

v.
To wash out a cavity or wound with a fluid.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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