black water

Noun

blackwater (usually uncountable, plural blackwaters)

1. (usually) Water that contains dark organic matter such as loam or tannins.
2. (usually, river classification) Water that is acidic and low in nutrients.
3. (usually) Blackwater fever; malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum.
   • She began talking of the way they had died – blackwater, malaria, a neglected appendix.1954, Doris Lessing, A Proper Marriage, HarperPerennial, published 1995, page 155
4. (usually) Waste from domestic toilets; water containing fecal matter.
   • Ms. Conlin failed to report, among other things, that air emissions are regulated and that our industry is exploring new technologies to further reduce emissions; that our ships treat all blackwater; and that advanced wastewater purification systems discharge water cleaner than most municipal water...2009 March 1, “Letter: Green Cruising Efforts”, in New York Times

   Synonyms:

   brown water, foul water, sewage

See all 13 meanings of blackwater