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Wastewater

/ˈweɪstˌwɔː.tər/
nounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #4500 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    Water that has been used in homes, businesses, or industrial processes and is contaminated with various waste products.

    "The municipal treatment plant processes millions of gallons of wastewater every day."
  2. 2

    Rainwater or other liquid runoff that picks up pollutants as it travels across the surface of the land.

    "Industrial wastewater must be carefully filtered before it is released back into the river."

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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from the combination of the adjectives/verbs 'waste' (from Old French 'wastrer', ultimately from Latin 'vastare', meaning to lay waste or desolate) and 'water' (from Old English 'wæter', of Germanic origin). The compound term emerged in the mid-20th century with the rise of industrialization and municipal sanitation engineering to specifically designate water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence.

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