submersible

[ suhb-mur-suh-buhl ]

adjective

1. capable of being submersed. submersed.
2. capable of functioning while submersed: submersed:

   a submersible pump.

noun

1. a ship capable of submerging and operating under water; submarine.
2. a device designed for underwater work or exploration, as a bathyscaphe or diving bell.

submersible

/ səbˈmɜːsəbəl; səbˈmɜːdʒɪbəl /

adjective

1. able to be submerged
2. capable of operating under water, etc

noun

1. a vessel designed to operate under water for short periods
2. a submarine taking one or more men that is designed and equipped to carry out work in deep water below the levels at which divers can work

Derived Forms

• subˌmersiˈbility, noun

Other Words From

• sub·mersi·bili·ty noun
• nonsub·mersi·ble adjective
• unsub·mersi·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of submersible¹

First recorded in 1865–70; submerse + -ible

Example Sentences

It traveled from China to Stockholm in one piece on a semi-submersible ship, one of only 10 in the world capable of handling such cargo, according to Markus Glaas, a manager at Skanska, a large Swedish construction firm that oversaw the project.

From MIT Technology Review

The Caladan submersible has no depth limitation, the company said.

From Washington Post

Traditional deep-sea robots or manned submersibles are heavily reinforced with rigid metal frames so as not to crumple — but these vessels are bulky and cumbersome, and the risk of structural failure remains high.

From Science News

Although fully submersible trimmers exist, they’re pretty tricky to find and ultimately don’t have much practical use.

From Popular-Science

The batteries can support up to four lights, two phones and a plug-in submersible water pump.

From TechCrunch

My ultra-deep submersible would not be required at those levels, that's half of the level it's designed for.

From The Daily Beast

Over the past five years, drug cartels have increasingly been shipping cocaine by way of hard-to-detect semi-submersible vessels.

From The Daily Beast

First off will be submersible devices—"You can call them swimming machines," he said—deployed to survey the damage.

From The Daily Beast

"Most certainly," said the admiral; and, accompanied by his staff, he followed Metcalf aboard the submersible.

From Project Gutenberg

Under these conditions the submersible commander is more or less forced to a policy of lying ambushed to surprise his enemy.

From Project Gutenberg

It is easy to understand why the submersible did not take a vital part in any of the major naval actions.

From Project Gutenberg

Improvement in motive machinery is the vital necessity in the development of the submersible.

From Project Gutenberg

One of the great problems of the submersible has been to master the difficulties of its control while maintaining a desired depth.

From Project Gutenberg