waterless

adj

Etymology: From Middle English waterles, waterlees, from Old English wæterlēas (“waterless”), from Proto-Germanic *watōrlausaz, equivalent to water + -less. Cognate with Saterland Frisian woaterloos (“waterless”), West Frisian wetterleas (“waterless”), Dutch waterloos (“waterless”), German wasserlos (“waterless”), Swedish vattenlös (“waterless”), Icelandic vatnslaus (“waterless”).

1. Dry, arid, lacking water.

   “The waterless desert can kill in many ways but dehydration is often fastest.”

   “Also the Russian lines over which these locomotives run pass through long stretches of waterless country, where the only alternative to hauling additional water-tank wagons is to conserve the water supply by condensing.”

2. Not requiring water.

   “How does a waterless urinal have a drain trap?”