sewer

¹

[ soo-er ]

noun

1. an artificial conduit, usually underground, for carrying off waste water and refuse, as in a town or city.

verb (used with object)

1. to provide or equip with sewers:

   a tax increase necessary to sewer the neighborhood.

sewer

²

[ soh-er ]

noun

1. a person or thing that sews.

sewer

³

[ soo-er ]

noun

1. a former household officer or head servant in charge of the service of the table.

sewer

¹

/ ˈsəʊə /

noun

1. a person or thing that sews

sewer

²

/ ˈsuːə /

noun

1. (in medieval England) a servant of high rank in charge of the serving of meals and the seating of guests

sewer

³

/ ˈsuːə /

noun

1. a drain or pipe, esp one that is underground, used to carry away surface water or sewage

verb

1. tr to provide with sewers

Other Words From

• sewer·less adjective
• sewer·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sewer¹

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 ); -ary ( def ), -er ², sew ²

Origin of sewer²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English sewer(e), souere, sower; sew ¹, -er ¹

Origin of sewer³

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; assiduous, -or ² )

Word History and Origins

Origin of sewer¹

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

Origin of sewer²

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

Example Sentences

And as Musselman saw it, that meant playing this season like “sewer rats,” scratching and clawing their way through the Big Ten.

From Los Angeles Times

Matt Staniek, a campaigner against sewage pollution and founder of Save Windermere, said Windermere was “the jewel in the crown of the Lake District National Park, and it's being used as an open sewer”.

From BBC

“San Francisco knows what it needs to do. Its old sewer system is failing,” said Frederick Liu, an assistant to the solicitor general.

From Los Angeles Times

“I would gladly take the sewer system down the street if I had to.”

From Los Angeles Times

Ofwat assesses the performance of the 17 largest water and wastewater companies in England and Wales each year against key targets, for issues such as sewer flooding, supply interruptions and water leaks.

From BBC

Related Words

• gutter
• septic tank
• sewage system