verb
irrigate
EER-ih-gayt/ˈɪrɪɡeɪt/
To supply a flow of water across an area.
Farmers irrigate their fields when rainfall does not provide enough water.
Etymology
The pieces describe applying water onto or into something, matching the agricultural practice of supplying water to land. Latin rigare securely means watering or moistening, though its deeper origin is uncertain.
In context
In Spain, the river Tagus is tapped, to pump its water over 300 kilometers to the south. To the driest region in Spain. The water is then used to irrigate fruit and vegetables
More examples
- A network of canals irrigates the valley's farmland.
- We irrigated the vegetable beds with collected rainwater.
- The nurse irrigates the wound with sterile saline.
Forms
irrigate · irrigates · irrigated · irrigating
irrigation noun — The controlled supply of water to land.