seawater

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

noun

1. the salt water in or from the sea.

seawater

/ 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of seawater¹

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

Example Sentences

A promising method to combat this problem is desalination technology because it can tap seawater.

From Science Daily

When the plant is up and running, 132,000 litres of seawater a second will be sucked in to a system that works like a huge car radiator.

From BBC

A good thing to note is that deuterium, a stable isotope of hydrogen, is much less expensive and can be found in seawater.

From Los Angeles Times

The experiment replicates the reaction between seawater and the stuff that comes up through hydrothermal vents — an energy source for life on Earth, and a possible mechanism by which organisms first developed here.

From Los Angeles Times

He claims he worked 22-hour days, had little food, and that his boots began to fall apart in the seawater.

From BBC