Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

irrigate

/ˈɪɹəˌɡeɪt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.58 in modern English

Syllables: ir-ri-gate
IPA: /ˈɪɹəˌɡeɪt/

9

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To supply (farmland) with water, by building ditches, pipes, etc.

Transitive verb

verb

To clean (a wound) with a fluid.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"We need to irrigate the land before we plant the crops."
"The nurse will show you how to irrigate the wound to prevent infection."

Etymology

First attested in 1615; borrowed from Latin irrigātus, perfect passive participle of irrigō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). See also Middle English irrigat(e) (“watered, irrigated”).

Origin

First known use: First attested in 1615

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

irrigates (present, singular) irrigating (participle, present) irrigated (participle, past) irrigated (past)

Derived Forms

bioirrigate bioirrigated bioirrigating irrigable irrigatable nonirrigated nonirrigating overirrigate reirrigate subirrigate underirrigate unirrigated

Frequently Paired Words

irrigation irrigator

Synonyms

water

Questions

How do you pronounce irrigate?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɪɹəˌɡeɪt/.
What does irrigate mean?: To supply (farmland) with water, by building ditches, pipes, etc.
Where does irrigate come from?: First known use: First attested in 1615.

How to pronounce irrigate

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “irrigate”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɪɹəˌɡeɪt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “irrigate”.
Repeat and practice — Say “irrigate” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.