watertight

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

adjective

1. constructed or fitted so tightly as to be impervious to water:

   The ship had six watertight compartments.

2. so devised or planned as to be impossible to defeat, evade, or nullify:

   a watertight contract; a watertight alibi.

watertight

/ ˈwɔːtəˌtaɪt /

adjective

1. not permitting the passage of water either in or out

   a watertight boat

2. without loopholes

   a watertight argument

3. kept separate from other subjects or influences

   different disciplines are often thought of in watertight compartments

Derived Forms

• ˈwaterˌtightness, noun

Other Words From

• water·tightness noun
• non·water·tight adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of watertight¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; water, tight

Example Sentences

She urged the council to take immediate action to make the building watertight and windproof.

From BBC

"The legislation must be watertight and without loopholes that could be used by those wanting to delay the rights workers so desperately need," he said.

From BBC

As descriptions of biological processes go, this model looked watertight.

From Science Daily

"At the bottom water oozed through the iron sides of the great tube, which has never been totally watertight. At one place a single stalactite a foot long hung from the roof."

From BBC

Skin is also a watertight barrier, the first line of defense against the outside world.

From National Geographic

Related Words

• immune
• impassable
• impenetrable
• inaccessible
• invulnerable
• resistant
• unaffected
• unmoved