scuba

S1C3U1B3A1
/ˈskuːbə/

noun

An apparatus carried by a diver, which includes a tank holding compressed, filtered air and a regulator which delivers the air to the diver at ambient pressure which can be used underwater.

Similar
aqualungAqua-Lung
OriginEnglish SCUBA ← Latin apparātu ← Proto-Italic *paro- →
CommonScrabble 9
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Meanings

scuba1

nounscuba (plural scubas)

plural scubas

  1. divingAn apparatus carried by a diver, which includes a tank holding compressed, filtered air and a regulator which delivers the air to the diver at ambient pressure which can be used underwater.
verbscuba (third-person singular simple present scubas, present participle scubaing, simple past and past participle scubaed)

present singular third person scubas · participle present scubaing · participle past scubaed · past scubaed

  1. rareTo perform scuba diving.

SCUBA2

nounSCUBA (plural SCUBAs)

plural SCUBAs

  1. Alternative letter-case form of scuba.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna device (trade name Aqua-Lung) that lets divers breathe under water; scuba is an acronym for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus

Similar
aqualungAqua-Lung
Broader
breathing devicebreathing apparatusbreathing machine
Also see
aqualung

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

scuba · noun, verb

  1. Proto-Indo-European*swé?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*selbʰ-
  3. Proto-Germanic*selbaz
  4. Old Englishself
  5. Old Englishself-
  6. Middle Englishself-
  7. Englishself-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  9. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  10. Proto-Italic*kom
  11. Proto-Italic*kom-
  12. Latincon-
  13. Proto-Indo-European*ten-
  14. Proto-Indo-European*tn̥eh₁yéti
  15. Proto-Italic*tenēō
  16. Latinteneō
  17. Latincontineō
  18. Latincontinēre
  19. Old Frenchcontenir
  20. Middle Englishconteinen
  21. Englishcontain
  22. Englishcontained
  23. Englishself-contained
  24. Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
  25. Proto-Indo-European*h₁entér
  26. Proto-Indo-European*h₂én
  27. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-?
  28. Proto-Indo-European*(H)n̥dʰí
  29. Proto-Indo-European*(H)n̥dʰér
  30. Proto-Germanic*under
  31. Proto-West Germanic*undar
  32. Old Englishunder-
  33. Middle Englishunder-
  34. Englishunder-
  35. Proto-Indo-European*wed-
  36. Proto-Indo-European*wódr̥
  37. Proto-Germanic*watōr
  38. Proto-West Germanic*watar
  39. Old Englishwæter
  40. Middle Englishwater
  41. Englishwater
  42. Englishunderwater
  43. Middle Englishbreeth
  44. Middle Englishbrethen
  45. Englishbreathe
  46. Englishbreathing
  47. Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
  48. Proto-Italic*ad
  49. Proto-Italic*ad-
  50. Latinad-
  51. Proto-Indo-European*perh₃-
  52. Proto-Indo-European*pr̥h₃o-
  53. Proto-Italic*paro-
  54. Latinparō
  55. Latinapparō
  56. Latinapparātu
  57. Englishapparatus
  58. EnglishSCUBA
  59. Englishscuba

From SCUBA, acronym of self-contained underwater breathing apparatus; now usually viewed as anacronymic.

Full word history & related roots →

SCUBA · noun

Acronym of self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian акваланг
  • акваланг (akvalang)diving equipment — see also aqualung
Chinese Mandarin 水肺
  • 水肺 (shuǐfèi)diving equipment — see also aqualung
German Drucklufttauchgerät, DTG
  • Drucklufttauchgerätdiving equipment — see also aqualung
  • DTGdiving equipment — see also aqualung
  • Tauchgerätdiving equipment — see also aqualung
Hungarian légzőkészülék, könnyűbúvár-légzőkészülék
  • légzőkészülékdiving equipment — see also aqualung
  • könnyűbúvár-légzőkészülékdiving equipment — see also aqualung
Japanese スキューバ
  • スキューバ (sukyūba)diving equipment — see also aqualung
Polish akwalung
  • akwalungdiving equipment — see also aqualung
Russian аквала́нг, ску́ба
  • аквала́нг (akvaláng)diving equipment — see also aqualung
  • ску́ба (skúba)diving equipment — see also aqualung
Thai สกูบา
  • สกูบา (sà-gu-báa)diving equipment — see also aqualung

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with scuba

CubaArubatubatsubamaqluba
All rhymes →

Anagrams

Bacus
Cite this entry
APA

scuba. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scuba

MLA

“scuba.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scuba. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scuba,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scuba.

Source: scuba on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.