Meanings
plural ditchwaters · alternative ditch-water
- uncountableusuallyThe stagnant water that collects in a ditch.
1 more example
The company, therefore, took their places, and addressed themselves to the serious business of the feast, but were soon disturbed by the hypochondriac, who thrust back his chair, complaining that a dish of stewed toads and vipers was set before him, and that there was green ditchwater in his cup of wine.
1846, Nathaniel Hawthorne, “The Christmas Banquet”, in Mosses from an Old Manse
Origin
- Middle Englishdich water, dyche water
- Englishditchwater
From Middle English dich water, dyche water, equivalent to ditch + water.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
ditchwater. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ditchwater
“ditchwater.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ditchwater. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ditchwater,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ditchwater.
Source: ditchwater on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.