What does waterlog mean?
To waterlog something is to fill it with water or make it abnormally heavy, wet, or difficult to move. The process can also describe a vessel, piece of timber, area of ground, or other object becoming so saturated with water that it loses buoyancy or stops functioning normally. Waterlog is therefore both a verb for an action and, through its common derivative waterlogged, an adjective for the resulting state. It is especially associated with ships and boats, where accumulated water may make a vessel sluggish or unable to stay afloat, but it can also describe flooded roads, saturated soil, and water-damaged timber. The word is neutral in register and is useful when the effect of water is to weigh something down or impair its movement rather than merely to wet its surface.
verbTo become saturated with water, especially so as to lose buoyancy or the ability to move normally; to cause something to become saturated or impeded by water.
- To become saturated with water and lose buoyancy, mobility, or normal functioning.
- To cause something to become saturated with water or otherwise impede it with accumulated water.
"The fierce storm waterlogged the old pier and made it unsafe to use."
"If the boat takes on too much water, it can waterlog and sink."
"Heavy rain waterlogged the trails and turned them into muddy channels."
Waterlogging can rob a floating object of its buoyancy, turning even a log into something that sinks.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does waterlog come from?
Waterlog is an English compound formed from water and log, with log originally referring to a piece of floating or lying timber. The compound developed in the late eighteenth century for the condition of becoming saturated with water and losing buoyancy or freedom of movement. Its later derivative waterlogged also came to describe anything heavily saturated with water or impeded by accumulated water.
Related word forms
How waterlog is actually used
The word is chiefly used transitively, although it can also be used intransitively. Its derivative waterlogged is especially common as an adjective describing flooded land, timber, vehicles, vessels, or people.
Easily confused with waterlog
Waterlog is the verb describing the process of becoming saturated with water, whereas waterlogged is the adjective describing the resulting condition.