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[waw-ter-ing, wot-er-] /ˈwɔ tər ɪŋ, ˈwɒt ər-/
the act of a person or thing that waters.
a watered appearance on silk or other fabric.
supplying water or used to water.
pertaining to medicinal springs or to a seabathing resort.
Origin of watering
before 1000; Middle English (noun); Old English wæterung. See water, -ing1, -ing2


[waw-ter, wot-er] /ˈwɔ tər, ˈwɒt ər/
a special form or variety of this liquid, as rain.
Last year we went to Marienbad for the waters.
a difference of 20 feet between high and low water.
above, below, or on the water.
  1. flowing water, or water moving in waves:
    The river's mighty waters.
  2. the sea or seas bordering a particular country or continent or located in a particular part of the world:
    We left San Diego and sailed south for Mexican waters.
lavender water; lemon water.
Often, waters. Medicine/Medical.
  1. amniotic fluid.
  2. the bag of waters; amnion:
    Her water broke at 2 a.m.
any of various solutions of volatile or gaseous substances in water:
ammonia water.
verb (used with object)
to sprinkle, moisten, or drench with water:
to water the flowers; to water a street.
to supply (animals) with water for drinking.
to furnish with a supply of water, as a ship.
to water soup; to water down an unfavorable report.
watered silk.
verb (used without object)
to drink water, as an animal.
to take in a supply of water, as a ship:
Our ship will water at Savannah.
of or relating to water in any way:
a water journey.
holding, or designed to hold, water:
a water jug.
worked or powered by water:
a water turbine.
hot-water furnace; city waterworks.
used in or on water:
water skis.
containing or prepared with water, as for hardening or dilution:
water mortar.
located or occurring on, in, or by water:
water music; water frontage.
residing by or in, or ruling over, water:
water people; water deities.
break water,
  1. to break the surface of the water by emerging from it.
  3. Medicine/Medical. to break the amniotic sac prior to parturition.
by water, by ship or boat:
to send goods by water.
dead in the water. dead (def 41).
hold water,
  1. to be logical, defensible, or valid:
    That accusation won't hold water.
in deep water, in great distress or difficulty:
Their marriage has been in deep water for some time.
in hot water. hot water.
like water, lavishly; abundantly; freely:
The champagne flowed like water.
The roasting turkey made our mouths water.
make water,
  1. (of a boat) to allow water to enter; leak.
  2. to urinate.
tread water. tread (def 23).
Related forms
waterer, noun
waterless, adjective
waterlessly, adverb
waterlessness, noun
waterlike, adjective
outwater, verb (used with object)
overwater, verb
rewater, verb Unabridged
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Examples from the web for watering
  • Millions of dollars to increase graduation rates will probably increase the rates by further watering down the standards.
  • It could have the effect of watering down instruction.
  • Stock watering and swindling of any kind should of course not only be stopped but punished.
  • Here's a quick list of the film's food highlights to get your mouth watering.
  • Food commercials have an advantage-if you make the product look mouth-watering, it will sell.
  • Wait for a few seconds and then water the perimeter, waiting for a few seconds in between watering.
  • Keep weeding and watering, if your garden hasn't had rain.
British Dictionary definitions for watering


  2. (as modifier): water sports, water transport, a water plant, related adjective aquatic
any form or variety of this liquid, such as rain
any of various solutions of chemical substances in water: lithia water, ammonia water
  1. any fluid secreted from the body, such as sweat, urine, or tears
  2. (usually pl) the amniotic fluid surrounding a fetus in the womb
a wavy lustrous finish on some fabrics, esp silk
(archaic) the degree of brilliance in a diamond See also first water
  2. the fictitious or unrealistic asset entries that reflect such inflated book value of capital
(modifier) (astrology) of or relating to the three signs of the zodiac Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces Compare air (sense 20), earth (sense 10), fire (sense 24)
(informal) above the water, out of trouble or difficulty, esp financial trouble
hold water, to prove credible, logical, or consistent: the alibi did not hold water
in deep water, in trouble or difficulty
make water
  1. to urinate
pass water, to urinate
test the water, See test1 (sense 5)
(informal) throw cold water on, pour cold water on, to be unenthusiastic about or discourage
water under the bridge, events that are past and done with
(transitive) to sprinkle, moisten, or soak with water
(transitive) often foll by down. to weaken by the addition of water
(intransitive) (of the eyes) to fill with tears
(transitive) to irrigate or provide with water: to water the land, he watered the cattle
(intransitive) to drink water
(intransitive) (of a ship, etc) to take in a supply of water
(transitive) (finance) to raise the par value of (issued capital stock) without a corresponding increase in the real value of assets
(transitive) to produce a wavy lustrous finish on (fabrics, esp silk)
See also water down
Derived Forms
waterer, noun
waterish, adjective
waterless, adjective
water-like, adjective
Word Origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for watering



Old English wæter, from Proto-Germanic *watar (cf. Old Saxon watar, Old Frisian wetir, Dutch water, Old High German wazzar, German Wasser, Old Norse vatn, Gothic wato "water"), from PIE *wodor/*wedor/*uder-, from root *wed- (cf. Hittite watar, Sanskrit udrah, Greek hydor, Old Church Slavonic and Russian voda, Lithuanian vanduo, Old Prussian wundan, Gaelic uisge "water;" Latin unda "wave").

Linguists believe PIE had two root words for water: *ap- and *wed-. The first (preserved in Sanskrit apah) was "animate," referring to water as a living force; the latter referred to it as an inanimate substance. The same probably was true of fire (n.).

To keep (one's) head above water in the figurative sense is recorded from 1742. Water cooler is recorded from 1846; water polo from 1884; water torture from 1928. First record of water-closet is from 1755. Water-ice as a confection is from 1818. Watering-place is mid-15c., of animals, 1757, of persons. Water-lily first attested 1540s.

measure of quality of a diamond, c.1600, from water (n.1), perhaps as a translation of Arabic ma' "water," which also is used in the sense "lustre, splendor."


Old English wæterian (see water (n.1)). Meaning "to dilute" is attested from late 14c.; now usually as water down (1850). To make water "urinate" is recorded from early 15c. Related: Watered; watering.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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watering in Medicine

water wa·ter (wô'tər)





The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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watering in Science
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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Slang definitions & phrases for watering

watch the submarine races

verb phrase

To do sex play in a parked car

[1980s+ Teenagers; fr the fact that no submarine races are in progress to be watched]

Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
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Idioms and Phrases with watering
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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