waterproofadj.n.
/ˈwɔːtəpruːf/, U.S. /ˈwɔdərˌpruf/, /ˈwɑdərˌpruf/ A. adj.
1. Of a person: that cannot be drowned or otherwise harmed by water. rare after 17th cent.
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the world > life > death > manner of death > [adjective] > from drowning > not
undrenta1225
undrenkleda1325
undrowned1580
waterproof1661
1661 E. H. Epit. Solemn League & Covenant (single sheet) Thou 'rt water-proof, if tears could drown'd, thou ne're Hadst liv'd to see this Clymacterick year.
1691 J. Dunton Voy. round World I. v. 63 Another sad accident show'd I was Bullet-proof as well as water-proof.
a1785 J. Hall-Stevenson Wks. (1795) II. 179 He whom no house, no haunt could hold.., By land for ever, on the hoof, By water, always water-proof.
1886 Harper's Mag. Dec. 251 Nothing hurts him. He is water-proof and thunder-proof. Toss him up anyhow, he falls upon his feet.
1988 J. Clute Strokes i. 2 As I rose level with the sun above Toronto I said Lord make me waterproof, but I remain mortal.
2.
a. Of a thing: impervious to water, impermeable. Also occasionally of a person: provided with, or wearing, waterproof clothing.
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the world > matter > liquid > dryness > [adjective] > waterproof or watertight
waterthight1387
staunch1412
watertight1489
thight1501
waterfast1518
waterproof1725
drop-dry1844
stanching1852
moisture-proof1867
damp-proof1870
damp-proofed1962
1725 Plain Dealer 1 Mar. There were many Seeds, and Grains, not liable in their Growth, to receive Damage by Inundations: And, in particular, Wool they said was Water-proof.
1757 J. H. Grose Voy. E.-Indies ii. 20 Their larger boats, called panguays, are raised some feet from the sides with reeds and branches of trees, well bound together with small-cord, and afterwards made water-proof, with a kind of bitumen, or resinous substance.
?1795 J. Butler Plan of Improvem. in Constr. & Use of Fire-arms 21 Endeavouring to render the soldier water-proof as well as the musquet,—if a table spoonful of boiled linseed oil was poured warm into each of his shoes three times, and the upper leather near the sole was smeared with it, three times, [etc.].
1802 W. Jessop in Minutes Comm. Surrey Iron Rlwy. 7 Oct. Quarries of Limestone at Merstham, apparently superior in Quality for Water-Proof Lime to either that of Guildford or Dorking.
1839 London Conservative Jrnl. 2 Feb. 8/4 The only process which will render silks, cottons, leather and linen, as well as woollen fabrics, thoroughly waterproof.
1871 J. O. Brookfield Influence II. 30 The Miss Shaws, in neat waterproof travelling suits.
1886 L. Andersen Copenhagen & Environs 98 He [sc. the Esquimaux man] is waterproof when he has on..the stockings of sealskin, or..of reindeer skin.
1920 Conquest May 311/3 Nowadays the cry is for waterproof roads.
1967 J. Cameron Point of Departure (2006) xii. 228 The rain beat down unremittingly; it slid off my waterproof jacket in streams down my neck.
2007 Golf Punk Oct. 27 (advt.) The new Horizon rainsuit is waterproof, breathable, wind resistant and mixes dynamic stretch with technical performance.
b. That is not damaged or washed away by water.
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1736 Gentleman's Mag. Dec. 732/1 The everlasting Mountains would be Water-Proof.
1896 Kansas City (Missouri) Star 16 Oct. (advt.) We have the only waterproof dye process for colouring tan shoes.
1939 N.Y. Times 10 Nov. 14 Women who black their eyelashes were warned today to use a waterproof type of makeup if they do not want to be gassed in a gas raid.
1967 Sears, Roebuck Catal. Fall–Winter 902/1 Set of 8 Felt-tip Markers. Write on almost anything. Instant drying ink. Waterproof, won't rub off.
1994 Clothes Show Mag. May 79/1 New summer options include waterproof eye shadow in stick form.., and improved waterproof mascara with lash conditioners.
2011 WWD 21 Jan. b6 Little Johnny will still be protected with what Neutrogena claims is the first-ever waterproof sunblock specifically designed for wet skin application.
c. figurative and in extended use, esp. (a) not susceptible to tears or crying; (b) impervious to external factors (of a specified type).
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the world > action or operation > operation upon something > [adjective] > involving subjection to action or influence > able or liable to be affected > not
superior1566
unsubject1583
unliable1590
insusceptible1603
uncapable1611
unexposeda1691
impassive1715
unsusceptible1734
insusceptive1752
waterproof1797
unsubjectable1829
immune1861
1797 Utrum Horum i. 12 I would do it myself: but my eyes are not water-proof. Try yours.
1831 E. J. Trelawny Adventures Younger Son III. 330 It..didn't make a man's inside water-proof, which good Nantz would.
1838 C. Dickens Oliver Twist II. xxxvi. 291 But tears were not the things to find their way to Mr. Bumble's soul; his heart was waterproof.
1843 R. S. Surtees Handley Cross II. xi. 297 Twice Dribbleford Brook comes in the way for those whose ambition is waterproof.
1865 W. Collins Armadale iv. vi, in Cornhill Mag. Oct. 475 I'm only a lawyer, and I can sit waterproof under another shower of Miss Gwilt's tears!
1910 J. Dewey How we Think xiii. 177 Ability to repeat catch-phrases, cant terms, familiar propositions, gives the conceit of learning and coats the mind with a varnish waterproof to new ideas.
1979 G. J. White F. D. R. & Press ii. 32 A columnist's political orientation..was immaterial; and, so far as their attacks were concerned, he, himself, was ‘waterproof’.
2007 Nation's Restaurant News 27 Aug. 69/4 New Orleans also is a city where soul proved waterproof..a place of hope, resilience and life.
B. n.
In early use: a waterproofing agent; (also) waterproofed fabric. Now: an item of clothing that is impervious to water, either naturally or (more typically) by the application of an agent or substance, such as rubber, PVC, wax, etc.; (in plural) a set of outerwear consisting of such clothing.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > manufactured in specific way > water or wind-proofed > article of
waterproof1763
mackintosh1836
dare-all1840
mucking-togs1842
dicky1883
oilskin1884
oily1886
showerproof1887
rainproof1890
mac1901
windproof1937
rain mac1966
foulie1978
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric manufactured in specific way > treated or processed in specific way > [noun] > made waterproof
waterproof1763
Gore-Tex1972
1763 in 6th Rep. Deputy Keeper Public Rec. App. II. 133 in Parl. Papers (1845) XLVIII. 351 Samuel Elmsley, of Wakefield (York), Woollen Draper: Specification for ‘A Preparation called Water Proof, whereby to prevent rain water from penetrating Woollen Cloths and Hats.’
1775 tr. Valuable Secrets Arts & Trades p. vi A varnish water proof.
1788 Felix Farley's Bristol Jrnl. 12 Apr. A large assortment of woolen cloths,..viz. Superfines.., double mill'd drabs, water-proofs, kersey plains [etc.].
1797 Rose Cecil II. xix. 305 I have got, you see, looking at his boots, my water proofs on.
1838 C. Mathews Motley Bk. (new ed.) 150 ‘What a nice water-proof Robert's got on, this morning!’ exclaimed Viol, testing the hatter's assertion recorded in the lining, by a small artificial shower.
1875 F. G. D. Bedford Sailor's Pocket Bk. (ed. 2) vii. 245 Officers..carry clasp-knife,..waterproof, haversack.
1936 Amer. Jrnl. Nursing 36 36/2 We carried..a complete change of clothing, a waterproof, a camera, and our sleeping bags and maps.
1979 Guardian 21 Aug. 9/1 Along a Dorset lane, nettle-ragged and fragrant with elderberry flowers, Freda Stenhouse in baggy waterproofs and rubber gloves is driving her herd of 90 cows.
2007 R. L. LaFevers Theodosia & Serpents of Chaos 210 I saw a long puddling trail behind me from the water running off my waterproof.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2015; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
waterproofv.
/ˈwɔːtəpruːf/, U.S. /ˈwɔdərˌpruf/, /ˈwɑdərˌpruf/ 1.
a. transitive. To make (something) impermeable or impervious to water. Also occasionally intransitive.
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the world > matter > liquid > dryness > dry [verb (transitive)] > make waterproof
endwellc1420
waterproof1820
proof1879
1820 Times 3 Jan. 4 Cloths will be water-proofed for woollen drapers and merchants on the lowest terms by application at 49, Long-lane.
1894 R. D. Blackmore Perlycross III. v. 77 The Chancel roof, which had only been patched up temporarily, and waterproofed with thick tarpaulins.
1967 Times Rev. Industry Aug. 84/2 It [sc. mineral roofing felt] insulates as well as waterproofs.
1996 Weekly World News 15 Oct. 42/4 The sinking duck presented a bigger problem... Its thyroid gland had malfunctioned and it couldn't produce oils needed to waterproof its feathers and keep it afloat.
2008 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 6 Apr. (Arts & Leisure section) 24/3 There were..filmmakers swarming over the boats, installing cameras and electronics and then trying to waterproof them with plastic bags and electrician's tape.
b. transitive. figurative and in extended use, esp. to make impervious, typically to something specified.In quot. 1841 (humorously): to kill, and so render unaffected by wet weather.
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1841 C. J. Lever Charles O'Malley lxix, in Dublin Univ. Mag. Mar. 392/1 If one didn't expect to be water-proofed before morning, they really wouldn't go out [sic] such weather.
1891 Sir H. Maxwell in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Oct. 582/1 Balzac..was wonderfully waterproofed against despondency by the intense realism of his fancy.
1909 Homiletic Rev. Feb. 147/1 Men can waterproof the soul and keep perfectly dry in a shower of blessings.
1970 D. Corkille Briggs Your Child's Self-esteem iv. xx. 216 Jealousy is particularly well waterproofed against reasoning and logic.
2012 Investm. Week 3 Sept. 8 The company has a model which means it can waterproof revenue growth of at least 10% every year.
2. transitive. Chiefly U.S. To protect from danger of drowning; spec. to teach (a person, esp. a child) to swim.
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1932 Washington Post 26 June 9 The committee feels that by ‘waterproofing’ Washingtonians through teaching them to swim, a large number of these accidents may be avoided.
1965 N.Y. Amsterdam News 20 Mar. 38 The YMCA of Greater New York is trying its best to waterproof boys and girls in the metropolitan area..any boy or girl..who cannot swim is invited to attend free swimming classes.
1985 Washington Post 24 Oct. 213 School Superintendent Robert Russell said he wants to ‘waterproof all our school-aged children’ and establish swim classes as part of the curriculum.
2010 H. Murkoff What to Expect First Year (rev. ed.) ii. xvii. 515/1 Parents, eager to ‘waterproof’ their babies..are often enticed to enroll their babies in swim classes.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2015; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adj.n.1661
v.1820