Waterproof

How to spell waterproof

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce waterproof

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does waterproof mean?

1. adjectiveUnaffected by water; designed to keep water out.
2. verbTo treat something so that water cannot pass through it.
3. nounA coat or other garment made to keep out the rain.

Waterproof in a sentence

• adjective

  The hikers packed a waterproof tent before the storm rolled in.

• verb

  The builders will waterproof the basement before laying the floor.

• noun

  She grabbed her waterproof from the hook as the drizzle began.

• adjective

  She bought a waterproof case to protect her phone at the beach.

• verb

  You should waterproof your leather boots before winter.

• noun

  A sturdy waterproof is essential for the walking holiday.

Where does waterproof come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a transparent English compound, joining 'water' to 'proof'. The first element comes from Old English 'waeter', the everyday Germanic word for the liquid, with close cousins in Dutch 'water' and German 'Wasser'. The second element, 'proof', travelled into English through Old French 'preuve' from the Latin verb 'probare', meaning 'to test' or 'to prove'; over time 'proof' developed the sense of 'able to withstand a test', which survives in coinages like 'fireproof' and 'foolproof'. The combined 'waterproof' is first recorded in the early 1700s, originally describing fabric treated so that water could not penetrate it. Because both halves are familiar words, the spelling is mostly a matter of remembering it is written solid as one word, with the double 'o' of 'proof' as the only mild snag.

How the word is built

• water (native word for the liquid)
• proof (resistant to, able to withstand)