shower

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   washing yourself by standing upright under water sprayed from a nozzle

   They took a shower after the game.

2. 2
   noun

   a plumbing fixture that sprays water over you

   they installed a shower in the bathroom

3. 3
   noun

   a sudden downpour (as of tears or sparks etc) likened to a rain shower

   a little shower of rose petals

4. 4
   noun

   a party of friends assembled to present gifts, usually of a specified kind, to a person

   Their friends organized a baby shower for them when they were expecting.

5. 5
   noun

   a brief period of precipitation

   the game was interrupted by a brief shower

6. 6
   verb

   take a shower

   wash one's body in the shower

7. 7
   verb

   provide abundantly with

   They showered the children with presents.

8. 8
   verb

   spray or sprinkle with

   The guests showered rice on the couple

Etymology

From Middle English schour (“shower”), from Old English sċūr (“shower”), from Proto-West Germanic *skūru (“shower”), from Proto-Germanic *skūrō (“storm, short shower”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱēwer- (“north, north wind, cold wind, rain shower”). Cognates Cognate with Dutch schoer (“downpour, heavy rainshower”), German Schauer (“shower”), Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish skur (“shower”), Faroese skúrur (“shower”), Icelandic skúr (“shower”), Norn skur (“squall”), Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌿𐍂𐌰 (skūra, “storm”), Italian coro (“northwestern wind”), Spanish cauro (“northwestern wind”), Belarusian се́вер…