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

verb

1. tr to provide with sewers

sewer

³

/ ˈsuːə /

noun

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

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

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

Origin of sewer²

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

Example Sentences

People too far away from sewer pipes usually have septic tanks.

From Science News For Students

Romania is on a climbing trend right now, especially in rural parts, where most are now connected to natural gas, water and sewer systems.

From Ozy

Utilities—like power, communication, water, and sewer lines—are usually located alongside roads, so those are also threatened.

From Popular-Science

Using a bank of samples from a treatment plant in Massachusetts, the company found that the virus showed up in the sewers in early March—around the same time as the first confirmed case.

From MIT Technology Review

And, Malone explained, the city’s infrastructure, including its sewer system, didn’t keep up as the city expanded.

From Voice of San Diego

In fact, he's even a kind of modern-day Orpheus, descending into the sewer to bet his life and find redemption.

From The Daily Beast

The son of a fashion model and sewer contractor, Walker grew up Mormon and graduated from Village Christian High School.

From The Daily Beast

I live far away from everything, without sewer, Internet, or fashion magazines from overseas.

From The Daily Beast

In June, a court ruled that JPMorgan would lose $842 million of the $1.22 billion in sewer debt it held.

From The Daily Beast

A lot of older cities have sewer systems that take rainwater, sewage, and industrial wastewater in the same pipe.

From The Daily Beast

Then crouching low, he crossed the room to where the strainer top of the sewer drain was placed in the concrete floor.

From Project Gutenberg

This sewer enters two portions of the parish, one division at its northern, and the other at its eastern side.

From Project Gutenberg

Rats burrow along a drain pipe from the sewer into the house and admit sewer gas.

From Project Gutenberg

An attempt was next made to dig into a small sewer that ran from the southeast corner of the prison into the main sewer.

From Project Gutenberg

In the mean time, the two men were to enter and make careful examination of the main sewer and its adjacent outlets.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• gutter
• septic tank
• sewage system