sewer

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“
Several stitches should never be taken at once on thick or piled goods, as the side next to the sewer is apt to be fuller in that case.

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Definitions (20)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (3)

  1. noun An artificial, usually underground conduit for carrying off sewage or rainwater.
  2. noun A medieval servant who supervised the serving of meals.
  3. noun One that sews: a sewer of fine clothing.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (11)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

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Examples (50)

  • He saw it raise the lid of a manhole of a storm-sewer, and it was gone. —  Startling Stories January, 1939
  • "You can't drop too much snow at a time down the sewer, and if it drops below a certain temperature, it won't go down." —  The Westmount Examiner
  • Yep, she's carrying the flag that's leading McCain right down the sewer -- hope she continues to carry THAT flag. —  Original Signal - Transmitting Buzz
  • "The only thing the village will retain is village ordinances - sewer, open container, littering - which is roughly $35,000 to $40,000 per year," Prince said. —  The OBSERVER
  • She decided in the end that the sewer issues could not be ignored, she said.
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Etymologies (6)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. Middle English, from Anglo-Norman sewere, from Vulgar Latin *exaquāria : Latin ex-, ex- + Latin aquāria, feminine of aquārius, pertaining to water (from aqua, water; see akw-ā- in Indo-European roots).
  2. Middle English, from Anglo-Norman asseour, from asseer, to seat guests, from Latin assidēre, to sit down : ad-, ad- + sedēre, to sit; see sed- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (4)

  1. from Middle English sewer, soware, sawere; from sew + -er.
  2. Early modern English also sewar; from Middle English sewer, seware, prob. short assewer, as seour, which also occur, in household ordinances and accounts; from Anglo-French asseour (Middle Latin adsessor), one who sets the table, from asseoir, set, place, orig. intransitive, sit by, from Middle Latin assidere, sit by, assess, from Latin ad, to, by, + sedere, sit: see sit, assize, assess. Cf. sew. The word seems to have been confused with sew, now sue, follow (as if ‘an attendant’), or with sew, juice, broth (as if ‘a kitchen officer'or ‘a cook’).
  3. Early modern English also sewar, sure, also shore (where sh is due to the pron. of s before the diphthongal ew or u); also dial. (Scots) siver (like skiver = skewer); from late Middle English sewer, earlier * sewere (Anglo-Latin sewera, suera), from Old French seuwiere, a canal, as for conducting water to a mill, or for draining a pond, from Middle Latin as if *exaquaria, equivalent to exaquatorium, a canal for draining, from Latin ex, out, + aqua, water: see ewe.Similarly, English ewer, a water-bearer, is ult. from Latin aquarius, and ewer, a water-pitcher, ult. from Middle Latin aquaria: see ewer, ewer. The word sewerhas apparently been confused with sew, drain.
  4. from sewer, n.
 

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/ˈsjuər/
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