shower

n. countable

A1 Beginner Oxford US //ˈʃaʊɝ// show·er

Archaic General-service Humorous Informal Slang Vulgar

n. a piece of equipment that washes your body while you stand under falling water. It also means the act of washing yourself this way.

n. an apparatus which sprays water over the body for cleansing, or the act of washing oneself in this manner. When referring to weather, it describes a brief period of rain.

SIMPLE

I take a hot shower every morning before work.

CONTEXTUAL

The hotel room features a modern glass shower with excellent water pressure and temperature control.

COMPLEX

After a long day of hiking through the muddy valley, the simple luxury of a hot shower was the only thing on her mind.

Synonyms

Etymology 1

From Middle English schour (“shower”), from Old English sċūr (“shower”), from Proto-West Germanic skūru (“shower”), from Proto-Germanic skūrō (“storm, short shower”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱēwer- (“north, north wind, cold wind, rain shower”). Cognates Cognate with Dutch schoer (“downpour, heavy rainshower”), German Schauer (“shower”), Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish skur (“shower”), Faroese skúrur (“shower”), Icelandic skúr (“shower”), Norn skur (“squall”), Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌿𐍂𐌰 (skūra, “storm”), Italian coro (“northwestern wind”), Spanish cauro (“northwestern wind”), Belarusian се́вер (sjévjer), сі́вер (sívjer), Bulgarian and Russian се́вер (séver, “north”), Czech and Slovak sever (“north”), Macedonian север (sever, “north”), Serbo-Croatian sȅvēr, sjȅvēr (“north”), Slovene sẹ́ver (“north”), Ukrainian сі́вер (síver, “cold, cold, bitter wind”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English showre, schawere, schewere (“one who exhibits something, actor; watchman, overseer, guide; sign; mirror; index finger”), from Old English sċēawere (“an observer, one who examines into a matter; a spy; mirror; actor, buffoon”), equivalent to show + -er. Cognate with Dutch schouwer (“observer, visionary, clairvoyant”), German Schauer (“an inspector”).

Usage

Commonly used with the verbs 'take' or 'have'.

Idioms3 entries