waterless

English

Etymology

From Middle English waterles, waterlees, from Old English wæterlēas (“waterless”), from Proto-Germanic *watōrlausaz, equivalent to water +‎ -less. Cognate with Saterland Frisian woaterloos (“waterless”), West Frisian wetterleas (“waterless”), Dutch waterloos (“waterless”), German wasserlos (“waterless”), Swedish vattenlös (“waterless”), Icelandic vatnslaus (“waterless”).

Adjective

waterless (not comparable)

1. Dry, arid, lacking water.

   The waterless desert can kill in many ways but dehydration is often fastest.

   • 1946 January and February, “The Why and The Wherefore: Condensing Locomotives”, in Railway Magazine, page 62:

     Also the Russian lines over which these locomotives run pass through long stretches of waterless country, where the only alternative to hauling additional water-tank wagons is to conserve the water supply by condensing.

   • 1978 April 29, Robert Etherington, “Cast As Decandents, Again”, in Gay Community News, page 13:

     Contrasting the luxurious life of the foreigners with the overcrowded, fetid, waterless existence of the Arabs.

2. Not requiring water.

   How does a waterless urinal have a drain trap?

Translations

lacking water

• Bulgarian: безводен (bg) (bezvoden)
• Danish: vandløs
• Esperanto: senakva
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἄνυδρος (ánudros)

• Ido: senaqua (io)
• Northern Mansi: ^{(please verify)} витта̄л (wittāl)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: vannløs

• Polish: bezwodny (pl)
• Scottish Gaelic: gun uisge
• Spanish: sin agua
• Turkish: susuz (tr)

See also

• Westley Waterless (a misnomer from Old English)