seawater

[ see-waw-ter, -wot-er ]

noun

1. the salt water in or from the sea.

seawater

/ sē′wô′tər /

1. Salt water, normally with a salinity of 35 parts per thousand (3.5%), in or coming from the sea or ocean. Although seawater contains more than 70 elements, most seawater salts are ions of six major elements: chloride, sodium, sulfate, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. The major sources of these salts are underwater volcanic eruptions, chemical reactions involving volcanic matter, and chemical weathering of rocks on the coasts. Seawater is believed to have had the same salinity for billions of years.

Word History and Origins

Origin of seawater¹

before 1000; Middle English see water, Old English sǣwæter; sea, water

Example Sentences

In 2006, Crescent City residents were caught off guard by significant seawater surge hours after a tsunami warning expired, causing significant harbor damage.

From Los Angeles Times

The researchers gathered all the available measurements of methanethiol in seawater, added those they had made in the Southern Ocean and the Mediterranean coast, and statistically related them to seawater temperature, obtained from satellites.

From Science Daily

The researchers took samples of seawater and extracted RNA to discover what microbes were active within it.

From Science Daily

A promising method to combat this problem is desalination technology because it can tap seawater.

From Science Daily

When the plant is up and running, 132,000 litres of seawater a second will be sucked in to a system that works like a huge car radiator.

From BBC