sewer

Definition

A pipe or channel, or system of pipes or channels, used to remove human waste and to provide drainage.

Etymology

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.

Example Sentences

• "There was a blockage in the sewer after an item of clothing was flushed down the toilet."
• "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."