English
sewer
Sewer comes from Anglo-Norman sewere ‘water-course’, from Old French sewiere ‘overflow channel for a fishpond’, and ultimately from Vulgar Latin *exaquāria ‘drain for carrying water off’.
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*exaquāria‘drain for carrying water off’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400sewiere‘overflow channel for a fishpond’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400sewere‘water-course’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sewer
- Englishearliest quotation 2014sewer
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*exaquāria‘drain for carrying water off’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400sewiere‘overflow channel for a fishpond’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400sewere‘water-course’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sewer
- Englishearliest quotation 2014sewer
Earliest quotation: 2014, It’s a gas: “One of the hidden glories of Victorian engineering is…”
A compound of ex ‘out of, from’ + aquāria ‘of or pertaining to waters’
Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵʰs ‘out’
Proto-Italic *eks
Latin ex ‘out of, from’
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ékʷeh₂ ‘water’
Proto-Italic *akʷā
Latin aqua ‘water’
Latin aquārius ‘of or pertaining to waters’
Every English word from Vulgar Latin *exaquāria
Another origin of sewer
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEassideō‘attend to’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEassidērepresent active infinitive of assideō
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*assedērereconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400asseoir‘find a seat for’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400asseour
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500seware
- Englishtodaysewer
Today it means
noun A pipe or channel, or system of pipes or channels, used to remove human waste and to provide drainage.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Vulgar Latin *exaquāria / sewer