Dictionary.com

sewer

1
[ soo-er ]
/ ˈsu ər /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for sewer on Thesaurus.com
noun
an artificial conduit, usually underground, for carrying off waste water and refuse, as in a town or city.
verb (used with object)
to provide or equip with sewers: a tax increase necessary to sewer the neighborhood.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
candystring
candyfloss
candypuff
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of sewer

1
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English suer(e) “drainage ditch,” from dialectal Old French se(u)wiere “overflow channel, pond sluice” (compare Old French ess(e)ouer(e) “ditch”), from unrecorded Vulgar Latin exaquāria “drain for carrying water off,” equivalent to Latin ex- “out of, away” + aquāria “pertaining to water” (feminine singular of aquārius ); see -ary, -er2, sew2

OTHER WORDS FROM sewer

sew·er·less, adjectivesew·er·like, adjective

Other definitions for sewer (2 of 3)

sewer2
[ soh-er ]
/ ˈsoʊ ər /
noun
a person or thing that sews.

Origin of sewer

2
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English sewer(e), souere, sower; sew1, -er1

Other definitions for sewer (3 of 3)

sewer3
[ soo-er ]
/ ˈsu ər /
noun
a former household officer or head servant in charge of the service of the table.

Origin of sewer

3
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English sever(e), sewerer “attendant who served or tasted his master's food,” shortened form of Anglo-French asseour “one who sets the table, seater,” equivalent to Old French asse(oir) “to seat” (from Latin assidēre “to attend upon”) + -our; see assiduous, -or2)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to sewer

gutter, septic tank, cesspool, cloaca, conduit, drainpipe, trench

How to use sewer in a sentence

  • The Strand boasted of being one of the best sewered districts in the metropolis, which, however, was not saying much for it.

    The Sanitary Evolution of London|Henry Lorenzo Jephson

  • The city has been sewered in modernwise and macadamized with care, and is supplied with abundance of purest water.

    On the Mexican Highlands|William Seymour Edwards

British Dictionary definitions for sewer (1 of 3)

sewer1
/ (ˈsuːə) /
noun
a drain or pipe, esp one that is underground, used to carry away surface water or sewage
verb
(tr) to provide with sewers

Word Origin for sewer

C15: from Old French esseveur, from essever to drain, from Vulgar Latin exaquāre (unattested), from Latin ex- 1 + aqua water

British Dictionary definitions for sewer (2 of 3)

sewer2
/ (ˈsəʊə) /
noun
a person or thing that sews

British Dictionary definitions for sewer (3 of 3)

sewer3
/ (ˈsuːə) /
noun
(in medieval England) a servant of high rank in charge of the serving of meals and the seating of guests

Word Origin for sewer

C14: shortened from Anglo-French asseour, from Old French asseoir to cause to sit, from Latin assidēre, from sedēre to sit
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
FEEDBACK