blackwater

See also: black water and Blackwater

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From black + water.

Noun

blackwater (usually uncountable, plural blackwaters)

  1. Water containing loam, tannins, etc., giving it a very dark appearance. [from 15th c.]
  2. Blackwater fever; malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum. [from 19th c.]
    • 1954, Doris Lessing, A Proper Marriage, HarperPerennial 1995, p. 155:
      She began talking of the way they had died – blackwater, malaria, a neglected appendix.
  3. Waste from domestic toilets; water containing fecal matter. [from 20th c.]
    • 2009 March 1, “Letter: Green Cruising Efforts”, in New York Times:
      Ms. Conlin failed to report, among other things, that air emissions are regulated and that our industry is exploring new technologies to further reduce emissions; that our ships treat all blackwater; and that advanced wastewater purification systems discharge water cleaner than most municipal water treatment plants.

Synonyms

  • (waste water likely to contain fecal matter): brown water, foul water, sewage

Coordinate terms

Translations

See also

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