aquifer - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
English
Noun
aquifer (plural aquifers)
- An underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel.
- ✤ The water in the well came from an aquifer.
- ✤ An aquifer is rock or sediment that holds groundwater – rain that is held below the surface of the soil and collected in empty spaces underground. Aquifers feed rivers to keep their flows at a healthy level, and are also important sources of water when reservoirs or other sources run low.1
Etymology
From aqui- + -fer.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈækwɪfə/
- (General American) IPA: /ˈɑkwɪfɝ/, /ˈækwɪfɝ/
- Audio (US): 🔊
Printed 2026-09-15.
(echo:: @ ⌗)
Footnotes
-
2023 August 16, Helena Horton, “United Utilities fined £800,000 for taking 22bn litres of water from aquifer”, in The Guardian: ↩