underwater

See also: under water

English

Alternative forms

• (predicate adjective and adverb): under water
• under-water

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ʌndə(ɹ)ˈwɔːtə/
• (General American) enPR: ŭndərwôʹtər, IPA^(key): /ʌndɚˈwɔtəɹ/

Etymology 1

under (preposition) +‎ water

Adjective

underwater (comparative more underwater, superlative most underwater)

1. (not comparable) Beneath the surface of the water; of or pertaining to the region beneath the water surface.

   Watch out for underwater obstacles.

   He was a pioneer in underwater exploration.

2. (nautical) Beneath the water line of a vessel.

   When the ship was brought into dry dock, it was found that she had underwater damage.

3. (figuratively) In difficulty, especially financially.
4. (finance) Having negative equity; owing more on an asset than its market value.

   We've been underwater on our mortgage ever since the housing crash.

   • 2013 May 13, Underwater (Bates Motel), episode 9 (Television), spoken by Matt Bronstein (Matthew MacCaull), via A&E:

     You're underwater. The best thing you can do is just walk away. Let the bank take it back.

5. (finance) Of an option, having a strike price higher (call options) or lower (put options) than the current market price of the underlying asset or financial product; for example, an option to buy shares at $20 when the current market price is $15.

Synonyms

• (beneath the water surface): subaqueous, subaquatic, submarine
• (having negative equity): upside down

Antonyms

• above water, above-water

Derived terms

• underwater basket weaving
• underwater hockey
• underwater rugby

 

Related terms

• keep one's head above water
• underground
• underseas

Translations

beneath the water surface

• Belarusian: падво́дны (padvódny)
• Bulgarian: подводен (podvoden)
• Catalan: submarina
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 水下 (zh) (shuǐxià)

• Czech: podvodní (cs)
• Dutch: onderwater (nl), onderwater-
• Esperanto: subakva
• Finnish: vedenalainen (fi)
• French: sous-marin (fr) m
• Georgian: წყალქვეშა (c̣q̇alkveša)
• German: unter Wasser, Unterwasser-
• Greek: υποθαλάσσιος (el) (ypothalássios)

  Ancient: ὕφυδρος (húphudros)

• Irish: faoi uisce, faoi thoinn
• Italian: subacqueo (it), sottacqua, sott'acqua (it)
• Japanese: 水中の (すいちゅうの, suichū no)
• Kazakh: су асты (su asty)
• Korean: 수중 (ko) (sujung)
• Latin: summersus
• Latvian: zemūdens
• Navajo: táłtłʼáahdi
• Norwegian:

  Nynorsk: undervass-

• Polish: podwodny (pl) m
• Portuguese: submarino (pt), subaquático (pt), submarinho
• Russian: подво́дный (ru) (podvódnyj)
• Spanish: sumergido (es)
• Tamil: நீருக்கடியில் (nīrukkaṭiyil)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Ukrainian: підво́дний (pidvódnyj)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
• Welsh: tanddwr (cy)

nautical: beneath the water line

• Bulgarian: под ватерлинията (pod vaterlinijata)
• Catalan: submarí (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 水下 (zh) (shuǐxià)

• Finnish: vedenalainen (fi)
• Irish: faoi uisce
• Polish: pod wodą (pl)

Adverb

underwater (comparative more underwater, superlative most underwater)

1. So as to go beneath the surface of the water.

   Can you swim underwater?

Translations

nautical: going beneath the surface of the water

• Bulgarian: подводно (bg) (podvodno)
• Italian: sott'acqua (it)
• Portuguese: debaixo d'água

Noun

underwater (plural underwaters)

1. Underlying water or body of water, for example in an aquifer or the deep ocean.
2. (fishing) A type of lure which lies beneath the water surface.
   • 1923, Sheridan R. Jones, Bait Casting: The Short Rod and How to Use It‎^[1], page 57:

     Practically all wobbling underwaters will take fish aplenty in the hands of a man who really knows how to put them through their stints.

Etymology 2

under- +‎ water

Alternative forms

• under-water

Verb

underwater (third-person singular simple present underwaters, present participle underwatering, simple past and past participle underwatered)

1. (agriculture, horticulture) To water or irrigate insufficiently.

   Care must be taken not to underwater houseplants in the summer.

Antonyms

• overwater

Related terms

• unwatered

See also

• underwater on Wikipedia.Wikipedia