noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈækwɪfə/
General-American:/ˈɑkwɪfɝ/
General-American:/ˈækwɪfɝ/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:AE1 K W AH0 F ER0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
An underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The water in the well came from an aquifer.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
underground bed or layer yielding ground water for wells and springs etc
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: geological formation, formation
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English aqui- Proto-Indo-European *bher- Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *bhorós Proto-Italic *-foros Latin -ferder. English -fer English aquifer From aqui- + -fer.
Across languages
Translations
42 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
طَبَقَة ٱلْمِيَاهِ ٱلْجَوْفِيَّةِ
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Catalan:
aqüífer
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Chinese Mandarin:
含水層 /含水层
(hánshuǐcéng)
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Dutch:
aquifer
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Finnish:
akviferi
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Finnish:
pohjavesikerros
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
French:
aquifère
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Galician:
acuífero
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Georgian:
წყლოვანი ფენა
(c̣q̇lovani pena)
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Georgian:
წყლოვანი ჰორიზონტი
(c̣q̇lovani horizonṭi)
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
German:
Grundwasserleiter
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
German:
Aquifer
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Greek:
υδροφορέας
(ydroforéas)
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Greek:
υπόγειος υδροφορέας
(ypógeios ydroforéas)
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Hebrew:
אקוויפר
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Hungarian:
víztartó réteg
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Indonesian:
akuifer
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Irish:
uiscíoch
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Japanese:
帯水層
(taisuisō)
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Korean:
대수층
(daesucheung)
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Latin:
aquifer
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Lithuanian:
vandeningas sluoksnis
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Māori:
mātāwainuku
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Navajo:
łeeyiʼdi tóhígíí
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Norwegian Bokmål:
akvifer
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Norwegian Bokmål:
grunnvannsmagasin
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Polish:
warstwa wodonośna
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Portuguese:
aquífero
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Russian:
водоно́сный горизо́нт
(vodonósnyj gorizónt)
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Russian:
водоно́сный слой
(vodonósnyj sloj)
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Russian:
водоно́сный пласт
(vodonósnyj plast)
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Russian:
аквифе́р
(akvifɛ́r)
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Sikkimese:
ཆུ་གཏེར
(chu gter)
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Slovak:
akvifer
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Spanish:
acuífero
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Swedish:
akvifär
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Telugu:
జల
(jala)
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Turkish:
akifer
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Turkish:
sutaşır
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Vietnamese:
tầng ngậm nước
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Vietnamese:
tầng chứa nước
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
Welsh:
dyfrhaen
— an underground layer of water-bearing porous stone, earth, or gravel
