bailer
bailer Lexical Profile
bailer Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A scoop, bucket, or mechanical device used to remove water that has accumulated inside a boat.
"Before launching the kayak, she checked that a plastic bailer and a sponge were secured under the deck lines."
A person who scoops or throws accumulated water out of a boat.
"As the wooden skiff took on water in the choppy bay, one crew member steered while the other acted as the bailer."
A long, cylindrical container fitted with a valve at the bottom, lowered into a borehole or oil well to remove water, sand, and drilling mud.
"The drilling crew lowered a steel sand bailer down the well casing to clear out the loose sediment."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'bailer' (a tool or person that scoops water out of a boat) with the homophones 'baler' (a machine that compresses hay or cotton into bales) or 'bailor' (a legal term for someone who entrusts property to another).
• Rhymes for bailer
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the verb 'bail' (from Old French 'baille', meaning 'bucket' or 'pail') combined with the agentive and instrumental suffix '-er'.