Word
dredge
US/ˈdɹɛdʒ/
UK/dɹˈɛdʒ/
Definitions
01to clear a waterway
v. to remove mud, sand, and stones from the bottom of a river or harbour to make it deeper.
v. to excavate or remove sediment from the bed of a body of water to maintain or increase depth for navigation.
“The city had to dredge the canal so that larger boats could pass through safely.”
“Environmental engineers were hired to dredge the harbour, ensuring that the shipping lanes remained deep enough for the new generation of cargo vessels.”
Technical
Usage
Often used with 'out' or as a direct transitive verb.
04a machine or tool
n. a large machine used for scooping mud from the bottom of a river.
n. a specialized apparatus or vessel equipped to remove sand, silt, or coral from a seabed or riverbed.
“The massive dredge worked all night to clear the silt from the bay.”
“The port authority invested in a new hydraulic dredge to combat the constant accumulation of sediment near the main piers.”
Technical
Real-World Examples
“This is exactly what a group of scientists have done using fossils dredged from the seafloor off Taiwan .” Etymology
From Scots dreg-boat, dreg-bot (from Old English *dreċġ); or alternatively from Middle Dutch dregghe (“drag-net”), probably ultimately from the same root as drag.
From Middle English dragge, from Old French dragee, dragie, from Latin tragēmata, from Ancient Greek τραγήματα (tragḗmata, “spices”), plural of τράγημα (trágēma, “dried fruit”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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Scan code
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