seawater

American  

[see-waw-ter, -wot-er] / ˈsiˌwɔ tər, -ˌwɒt ər /

noun

• seawaters
  plural

1. the salt water in or from the sea.

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seawater Scientific  

/ 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.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• seawaters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of seawater

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

seawater seawaters

China has taken over the industry, but we know how to extract the vital metal from seawater.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

The researchers "tested it in soil, seawater and deionised water. It degraded in all of those conditions ... and we estimate that it would biodegrade within about nine months," she said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

In industry, condensation plays an important role in converting steam back into water at power plants, producing fresh water from seawater, and carrying heat away from electronic equipment.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

A 50-year-old father and his young sons were left "pale" and "exhausted after swallowing a lot of seawater" before being rescued, local government official Amorn Chomchoey told AFP.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Jason summoned a gale so strong, it pushed them into the sky, while Percy sent a ten-foot-tall wave against the shore, knocking Hercules down a second time, in a cascade of seawater and pineapples.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

The rocket parts were found near seawaters where the Philippine Space Agency had earlier warned the public the debris would likely fall.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 9, 2022

Philippine Space Agency official Marc Talampas said authorities have been advised to be on the lookout for the rocket debris, which may have splashed down into seawaters off Palawan province.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 31, 2022

The good news is that we can change the games we play much easier than we can change our agricultural infrastructure, or evacuate the billions who live in the path of rising seawaters.

From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2016

A few cars have been damaged—or, as McKie described it, “ruined” by “surging seawaters that corrode and rot their innards.”

From Time ● Jul. 14, 2014