Association of British Scrabble Players

Society > Structures > Water


Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.


aboideau (Fr.) a tide gate.
aboiteau (Fr.) a tide gate.
acequia (Spanish) an irrigation ditch.
adjutage (Fr.) a tube added to or inserted into an aperture to control the outflow of water, as a pipe at the mouth of an artificial fountain.
ajutage (Fr.) a tube added to or inserted into an aperture to control the outflow of water, as a pipe at the mouth of an artificial fountain.
anicut (Tamil) a dam or mole made in the course of a stream for the purpose of regulating the flow of a system of irrigation.
annicut (Tamil) a dam or mole made in the course of a stream for the purpose of regulating the flow of a system of irrigation.
balneary a bath; a bathing-place; a medicinal spring.
boathouse a place for keeping boats.
breakwall a protective wall built offshore and usually parallel to the shore.
breakwater a protective wall built offshore and usually parallel to the shore.
canal an artificial watercourse, esp for navigation; (verb) to dig an artifical waterway through.
catchwater a drain or ditch for collecting surface or surplus water.
cesspool a pit or pool for collecting sewage or filthy water.
cistern an artificial reservoir for storing water, esp one in the roof-space of a house etc.
condie a covered drain.
culvert an arched construction or channel enclosing a drain or watercourse beneath a road, railway, etc; (verb) to channel a stream through a culvert.
cundy a covered drain.
dam an embankment to restrain water; (verb) to restrain water with an embankment or bank.
dockisation the act of dockising.
dockise to convert into docks.
dockization the act of dockizing.
dockize to convert into docks.
downspout (US) a drainpipe.
drainage the act of draining.
drainpipe a pipe used for carrying off surplus water.
drywell a type of sewage disposal system.
dyke a trench, or the earth dug out and thrown up; (verb) to build a dyke.
empolder to make a polder of.
falaj (Arabic) an irrigation channel, esp in Oman.
fanal (Arch.) a lighthouse, a beacon.
flashboard one of a set of boards set up at the sides of a water channel to deepen it.
floodgate a gate for allowing or stopping the flow of water, a sluice or lock gate.
floodwall a wall built as a protection against floods etc.
flume an artificial water-channel; (verb) to convey by this.
forebay a reservoir from which water is taken to run equipment.
fracking the process of forcing liquid containing sand or other material into the strata round a well bottom to split them and prevent them closing.
gare (Scots) greedy, miserly; (noun) a dock-basin on a waterway.
groyne a wooden breakwater.
gutter slum life (verb) to form channels for draining off water
headgate a gate to control the flow of water.
headrace the channel leading to a waterwheel.
hydrant an outlet from a water main.
irrigative relating to irrigation.
jawbox (Scots) a sink.
jawhole (Scots) a cesspool; a sewer entrance.
koker (Dutch) in Guyana, a sluice-gate.
leat a millstream.
lockage materials for locks in a canal, or the works forming a lock or locks.
milldam a dam or mound to obstruct a water course, and raise the water to a height sufficient to turn a mill wheel.
millpond a pool formed by damming a stream to provide water to turn a millwheel.
millrace the current of water that turns a millwheel.
millrun the current of water that turns a millwheel.
millstream a stream whose flow is utilized to run a mill.
milltail the channel in which water runs away below a millstream, aka tailrace.
millwheel a waterwheel that drives a mill.
moatlike like a moat.
nonirrigated not irrigated.
penstock a close conduit or pipe for conducting water, as, to a waterwheel.
phare a lighthouse or beacon.
pharos (Greek) a lighthouse or beacon.
pier a structure extending from land out over water.
ponton a float, a bridge of boats.
pontoon a float, a bridge of boats; the floating gate of a dock; (verb) to cross a river by means of pontoons.
pumphouse a building in which are housed pumps that supply e.g. an irrigation system.
puteal a wall round the top of a well.
qanat (Arabic) an underground tunnel for carrying irrigation water.
quai (Fr.) a quay.
quay a wharf for the loading or unloading of vessels.
quaylike like a quay.
quayside the side of a quay, a wharf for the loading or unloading of vessels.
rean a drainage channel.
reen a drainage channel.
rhine a drainage channel.
rhyne a drainage channel.
rigol a gutter or water-channel.
rigoll a gutter or water-channel.
seawall a wall at the shore and parallel to it for protection against wave erosion.
seawalled having a SEAWALL.
sesspool a pit or pool for collecting sewage or filthy water.
sewer a channel (esp underground) for receiving the discharge from house-drains and streets; (verb) to provide with sewers.
sewerage a sewage system.
sheuch (Scots) a ditch or drain; (verb) to plant temporarily.
sheugh (Scots) a ditch or drain; (verb) to plant temporarily.
siver (Scots) a drain; a grating over a drain.
sluice a structure with a gate for stopping or regulating flow of water (verb) to wash with a sudden flow of water
sluicelike like a sluice.
sluiceway an artificial channel into which water is let by a sluice.
sluse (Milton) a sluice.
spillway a sluiceway or passage for superfluous water in a reservoir, to prevent too great pressure on the dam.
stagehead (Canadian) the part of a fishing stage which extends over the water.
standpipe a pipe for supplying water.
stean to line eg a well with stone.
steen to line eg a well with stone.
stein to line eg a well with stone.
stopbank in New Zealand, an embankment to prevent flooding.
sure certain (verb) to provide with sewers
surely (Adv.) SURE, certain.
syver (Scots) a drain; a grating over a drain.
tailrace the channel in which water runs away below a millstream.
tailwater water below a dam or waterpower development.
thermae (Lat.) hot springs or baths, esp in ancient Rome.
thorough complete (prep.) through; (noun) a manmade channel; a drainage ditch
tidemill a water-mill driven by the tide.
tubewell a water well in which a long steel tube is bored into an underground aquifer.
turncock a valve for regulating water flow.
underdrain to drain by deep underground ditches.
utilidor an insulated system of pipes for use in arctic regions.
wasteway a channel for excess water.
wasteweir a sluiceway or passage for superfluous water in a reservoir, to prevent too great pressure on the dam, aka a spillway.
watercourse a natural or artificial channel through which water flows.
watergate a gate of a town or castle opening on to a lake, river, or sea.
weir a low dam that is built across a river to raise the water level, divert the water, or control its flow; (verb) to wear.
wellcurb the raised edge round a well.
wellhouse a structure above a well, housing the windlass.
zanja (Spanish) an irrigation canal in Latin America.