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irrigate

[ ir-i-geyt ]
/ ˈɪr ɪˌgeɪt /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR irrigate 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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RELATED WORDS

inundate, soak, flood, sprinkle, spray, flush

Nearby words

  1. irreverent,
  2. irreversible,
  3. irreversible pulpitis,
  4. irrevocable,
  5. irrigable,
  6. irrigation,
  7. irrigative,
  8. irriguous,
  9. irritability,
  10. irritable

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
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for irrigate

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 Formsirrigable, 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
Word Origin and History for irrigate

irrigate

v.

"supply land with water," 1610s, from Latin irrigatus, past participle of irrigare "lead water to, refresh, irrigate, flood," from assimilated form of in- "into, in, on, upon" (see in- (2)) + rigare "to water, to moisten," of uncertain origin, perhaps cognate with rain. Related: Irrigated; irrigating. In Middle English it was an adjective, "watered, flooded" (mid-15c.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for irrigate

irrigate

[ ĭr′ĭ-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.