submersion

[ suhb-mur-zhuhn, -shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of putting oneself or another person or thing under water or into some other enveloping medium:

   Swimmers in the class are taught submersion and breath holding, floating, and kicking.

   This durable tile is specially made to withstand submersion in swimming pools.

2. the act of subordinating or suppressing something:

   Critics talked about the film’s submersion of individual character within a vision of group solidarity.

Word History and Origins

Origin of submersion¹

First recorded in 1400–50; from Late Latin submersiōn-, stem of submersiō, also summersiō “a sinking,” from Latin submers(us) “sunk” (past participle of submergere “to dip under, immerse, sink”) + -iō -ion ( def )

Example Sentences

“I Saw the TV Glow” captures this obsessive, anticipatory submersion in a long-form weekly TV show, to the point where it ignites the same feeling.

From New York Times

Bryant didn’t want to simply insert an island of Blackness into a sea of whiteness, leaving the island under threat of submersion.

From New York Times

None of this required submersion in water, which suited her fine, what with water being terrifying.

From New York Times

There are about 120 exhibits at the museum – enough, the organisers think, for full submersion but not so many that repetition or exhaustion kicks in.

From The Guardian

Total submersion is the key to maintaining preservation.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• deluge
• flash flood
• overabundance
• torrent