autoirrigation
|au-to-ir-ri-ga-tion|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːtoʊɪrɪˈɡeɪʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːtəʊɪrɪˈɡeɪʃən/
self-watering
Etymology
'autoirrigation' originates from Greek and Latin, specifically the Greek prefix 'auto-' from 'autos' and the Latin word 'irrigatio' from 'irrigare', where 'auto-' meant 'self' and 'irrigare' meant 'to water (to irrigate)'.
'autoirrigation' was formed in modern English by combining the Greek element 'auto-' with the Latin-derived English word 'irrigation' (from Latin 'irrigare' > Medieval/Modern Latin 'irrigatio' > English 'irrigation'); the compound appears in technical usage in the 19th–20th centuries as a descriptive term for self‑ or automatic watering systems.
Initially it literally denoted 'self' + 'watering' (self-applied watering); over time it has retained that core sense and come to be used more broadly for automated or self-regulating watering systems and technologies.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a system or process by which water is supplied to plants automatically or by the plants' own mechanisms (self-watering), reducing or eliminating the need for manual irrigation.
Many modern greenhouses use autoirrigation to maintain soil moisture without manual watering.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/26 07:34