Meanings
sewer1
plural sewers
- A pipe or channel, or system of pipes or channels, used to remove human waste and to provide drainage.
There was a blockage in the sewer after an item of clothing was flushed down the toilet.
1 more example
One of the hidden glories of Victorian engineering is proper drains. Isolating a city’s effluent and shipping it away in underground sewers has probably saved more lives than any medical procedure except vaccination.
2014 June 14, “It’s a gas”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8891, London: The Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 12 Jun 2014
present singular third person sewers · participle present sewering · participle past sewered · past sewered
sewer2
plural sewers
- historicalAn official in charge of a princely household, also responsible for the ceremonial task of attending at dinners, seating the guests and serving dishes.
His nephew Charles, meanwhile, had grown up in the royal household, working as a sewer, or waiter.
2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin, published 2012, page 2871 more example
While the Saxon was plunged in these painful reflections, the door of their prison opened, and gave entrance to a sewer, holding his white rod of office.
1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, chapter VII, in Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC, pages 116–117
sewer3
plural sewers
- One who sews.
1 more example
Up under the roof three men are making boys’ jackets at twenty cents a piece, of which the sewer takes eight, the ironer three, the finisher five cents, and the buttonhole-maker two and a quarter, leaving a cent and three-quarters to pay for the drumming up, the fetching and bringing back of the goods.
1890, Jacob A[ugust] Riis, “The Sweaters of Jewtown”, in How the Other Half Lives: Studies among the Tenements of New York, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, pages 131–132Synonyms: sempster, sempstress, seamster, seamstress, tailor, sewist
Synonyms & antonyms
nounOne who sews.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna waste pipe that carries away sewage or surface water
nounmisfortune resulting in lost effort or money
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
sewer · noun, verb
- Latinex“out of, from”
- Vulgar Latin*exaquāria“drain for carrying water off”
- Old Frenchsewiere“overflow channel for a fishpond”
- Anglo-Normansewere“water-course”
- Middle Englishsewer
- Englishsewer
From Middle English sewer, seuer, from Anglo-Norman sewere (“water-course”), from Old French sewiere (“overflow channel for a fishpond”), from Vulgar Latin *exaquāria (“drain for carrying water off”), from Latin ex (“out of, from”) + aquāria (“of or pertaining to waters”) or from a root *exaquāre.
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French
Full word history & related roots →sewer · noun
- Latinassidēre
- Old Frenchasseoir“find a seat for”
- Anglo-Normanasseour
- Middle Englishseware
- Englishsewer
From Middle English seware, seuere, from Anglo-Norman asseour, from Old French asseoir (“find a seat for”), from Latin assidēre, present active infinitive of assideō (“attend to”), from ad (“to, towards, at”) + sedeō (“sit”).
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans naaier
- naaierperson who sews clothing
Ancient Greek γόργυρα
- γόργυρα (górgura)pipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Arabic بَالُوعَة, خَيَّاط
- بَالُوعَة (bālūʕa)pipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- خَيَّاط (ḵayyāṭ)person who sews clothing
Basque estolda
- estoldapipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Bulgarian кана́л, шива́ч
- кана́л (kanál)pipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- шива́ч (šiváč)person who sews clothing
- шива́чка (šiváčka)person who sews clothing
Catalan claveguera, clavegueram
- claveguerapipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- claveguerampipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Chinese Mandarin 下水道, 滲溝 /渗沟
- 下水道 (xiàshuǐdào)pipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- 滲溝 /渗沟 (shèngōu)pipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- 陰溝 /阴沟 (yīngōu)pipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Czech kanalizace, stoka
- kanalizacepipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- stokapipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- kanálpipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- šičperson who sews clothing
- šičkaperson who sews clothing
Danish syer
- syerperson who sews clothing
Dutch riool, afvoerpijp
- rioolpipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- afvoerpijppipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- naaierperson who sews clothing
- naaisterperson who sews clothing
Esperanto kloako
- kloakopipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Estonian kanalisatsioon, õmbleja
- kanalisatsioonpipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- õmblejaperson who sews clothing
Finnish viemäri, ompelija
- viemäripipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- ompelijaperson who sews clothing
French égout, couturier
- égoutpipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- couturierperson who sews clothing
- couturièreperson who sews clothing
German Kanalisation, Abwasserkanal
- Kanalisationpipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- Abwasserkanalpipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- Näherperson who sews clothing
- Näherinperson who sews clothing
Greek υπόνομος
- υπόνομος (ypónomos)pipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Hebrew בִּיב, בִּיּוּב
- בִּיב (biv)pipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- בִּיּוּב (biyúv)pipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Hungarian csatorna, szennyvízcsatorna
- csatornapipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- szennyvízcsatornapipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- kanálispipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Icelandic frárennsli, holræsi
- frárennslipipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- holræsipipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- klóakpipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- lokræsipipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Indonesian selokan, got
- selokanpipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- gotpipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Irish séarach
- séarachpipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Italian fogna, chiavica
- fognapipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- chiavicapipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- cloacapipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- fognaturapipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Japanese 下水道
- 下水道 (gesuidō)pipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Korean 하수도
- 하수도 (hasudo)pipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Latin cloāca
- cloācapipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Māori paipa harihari paru, paipa waiparakaingaki
- paipa harihari parupipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- paipa waiparakaingakipipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Norwegian Bokmål kloakk
- kloakkpipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Polish ścieki, kanalizacja
- ściekipipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- kanalizacjapipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- rynsztokpipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- szwaczperson who sews clothing
- szwaczkaperson who sews clothing
Portuguese esgoto, costureiro
- esgotopipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- costureiroperson who sews clothing
Russian сто́чная труба́, канализацио́нная труба́
- сто́чная труба́ (stóčnaja trubá)pipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- канализацио́нная труба́ (kanalizaciónnaja trubá)pipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- колле́ктор (kolléktor)pipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- канализа́ция (kanalizácija)pipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- сток (stok)pipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- портно́й (portnój)person who sews clothing
- портни́ха (portníxa)person who sews clothing
- швец (švec)person who sews clothing
- швея́ (švejá)person who sews clothing
Slovak kanál, stoka
- kanálpipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- stokapipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- kanalizáciapipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Spanish alcantarilla, cloaca
- alcantarillapipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- cloacapipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- alcantarilladopipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- albañalpipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- desagüepipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- albollónpipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- albañarpipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- costureroperson who sews clothing
- costureraperson who sews clothing
- cosedorperson who sews clothing
- cosedoraperson who sews clothing
Swedish kloak, sömmare
- kloakpipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- sömmareperson who sews clothing
- sömmerskaperson who sews clothing
Tagalog alkantarilya
- alkantarilyapipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Tamil சாக்கடை
- சாக்கடை (cākkaṭai)pipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Turkish kanalizasyon, lağım döşemi
- kanalizasyonpipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- lağım döşemipipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- terziperson who sews clothing
- dikişçiperson who sews clothing
Ukrainian сті́чна труба́, каналіза́ція
- сті́чна труба́ (stíčna trubá)pipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- каналіза́ція (kanalizácija)pipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- швач (švač)person who sews clothing
- краве́ць (kravécʹ)person who sews clothing
Vietnamese cống
- cốngpipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Welsh carthffos, ceuffos
- carthffospipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
- ceuffospipes used to remove human waste and to provide drainage
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with sewer
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
sewer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sewer
“sewer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sewer. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sewer,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sewer.
Source: sewer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.