waterless

English

Etymology

From Middle English waterles, waterlees, from Old English wæterlēas (“waterless”), from Proto-Germanic *watōrlausaz, equivalent to water +‎ -less. Cognate with Saterland Frisian woaterloos (“waterless”), West Frisian wetterleas (“waterless”), Dutch waterloos (“waterless”), German wasserlos (“waterless”), Swedish vattenlös (“waterless”), Icelandic vatnslaus (“waterless”).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

waterless (not comparable)

1. Dry, arid, lacking water.

   The waterless desert can kill in many ways but dehydration is often fastest.

   • 1946 January and February, “The Why and The Wherefore: Condensing Locomotives”, in Railway Magazine, page 62:

     Also the Russian lines over which these locomotives run pass through long stretches of waterless country, where the only alternative to hauling additional water-tank wagons is to conserve the water supply by condensing.

   • 1978 April 29, Robert Etherington, “Cast As Decandents, Again”, in Gay Community News, page 13:

     Contrasting the luxurious life of the foreigners with the overcrowded, fetid, waterless existence of the Arabs.

2. Not requiring water.

   How does a waterless urinal have a drain trap?

Translations

lacking water

Bulgarian: безводен (bg) (bezvoden) Danish: vandløs Esperanto: senakva Greek: Ancient: ἄνυδρος (ánudros) Ido: senaqua (io) Northern Mansi: (please verify) витта̄л (vittāl) Norwegian: Bokmål: vannløs Polish: bezwodny (pl) Scottish Gaelic: gun uisge Spanish: sin agua Turkish: susuz (tr)

See also

• Westley Waterless (a misnomer from Old English)