blackwater
See also: black water and Blackwater
English
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editNoun
editblackwater (usually uncountable, plural blackwaters)
- Water containing loam, tannins, etc., giving it a very dark appearance. [from 15th c.]
- Blackwater fever; malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum. [from 19th c.]
- 1954, Doris Lessing, A Proper Marriage, HarperPerennial, published 1995, page 155:
- She began talking of the way they had died – blackwater, malaria, a neglected appendix.
- Waste from domestic toilets; water containing fecal matter. [from 20th c.]
- Coordinate terms: nightsoil; gray water
- 2009 March 1, “Letter: Green Cruising Efforts”, in New York Times[1]:
- 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
edit- (waste water likely to contain fecal matter): brown water, foul water, sewage
Coordinate terms
editTranslations
editcontaminated waste water
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