Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

watergate

/ˈwɑtəɹˌɡeɪt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.24 in modern English

Syllables
wa-ter-gate
IPA
/ˈwɑtəɹˌɡeɪt/
13
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

name

An American political scandal (beginning with a burglary in the Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC, in 1972) that eventually led to the resignation of US President Richard Nixon.

verb

To treat in a manner reminiscent of the Watergate scandal.

Transitive verb

verb

To engage in activities associated with the Watergate scandal.

Intransitive verb

noun

A gate opening onto water, or only or mainly accessible by water.

noun

Alternative form of water gate.

verb

Alternative form of Watergate.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wed- Proto-Indo-European *-r̥ Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥ Proto-Germanic *watōr Proto-West Germanic *watar Old English wæter Middle English water English water Proto-Germanic *gatą Proto-West Germanic *gat Old English ġeat Middle English gate English gate Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstis Proto-Indo-European *pótis Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstipotis Proto-Italic *hostipotis Latin hospes Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin hospitālis Old French ostel Middle French hostel French hôtelbor. English hotel English Watergate Hotel English Watergate From the name of the Watergate Hotel; the complex itself was named after the "Water Gate" area where symphony orchestra concerts were staged on the Potomac River between 1935 and 1965.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈwɑtəɹˌɡeɪt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Watergates (present, singular) Watergating (participle, present) Watergated (participle, past) Watergated (past) watergates (plural)

Phrases

-gate Watergate salad sluice gate

Frequently Paired Words

floodgate sluice gate

Homonyms

Wottergate

Questions

How do you pronounce watergate?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈwɑtəɹˌɡeɪt/.
What does watergate mean?
An American political scandal (beginning with a burglary in the Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC, in 1972) that eventually led to the resignation of US President Richard Nixon.
Where does watergate come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce watergate

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “watergate”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈwɑtəɹˌɡeɪt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “watergate”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “watergate” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.