Hydraulic
adjectiveOperated by, or relating to, liquid moving under pressure through pipes or cylinders.
How to spell hydraulic
9 letters · 3 syllables
How to pronounce hydraulic
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does hydraulic mean?
- adjectiveOperated by, or relating to, liquid moving under pressure through pipes or cylinders.
Hydraulic in a sentence
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The digger lowered its arm using a hydraulic ram.
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A leak in the hydraulic system left the brakes feeling soft.
Where does hydraulic come from?
Language of origin: Greek
The word traces back to the Greek hydraulikos, which described a hydraulis, an ancient musical organ powered by water. That noun was assembled from hydor, meaning 'water', and aulos, meaning 'pipe' or 'reed flute', so the literal idea was a water-driven pipe instrument. Latin borrowed the term as hydraulicus, and it travelled into French as hydraulique before reaching English in the early 1600s. Over time the musical sense faded and the word came to describe anything operated by liquid moving under pressure through pipes and cylinders. The hydr- element is the same one that gives us 'hydrant' and 'dehydrate', a useful reminder that the 'hydr' spelling, not 'hidr', anchors the whole family.
How the word is built
- hydr- (from Greek hydor: water)
- aul- (from aulos: pipe, flute)
- -ic (adjective suffix)
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