Standard Lemma guide

hydrotherapy

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.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: HH AY2 D R OW0 TH EH1 R AH0 P IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of various techniques that use water, either externally or internally, for the treatment of disease and for the soothing of pain.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: alternative-medicine, medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the internal and external use of water in the treatment of disease

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hydropathy

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: treatment, intervention

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wed- Proto-Indo-European *-r̥ Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥ Proto-Hellenic *údōr Ancient Greek ῡ̆̔́δωρ (hū̆́dōr) Ancient Greek ῠ̔δρο- (hŭdro-)der. English hydro- Proto-Indo-European *treb-der.? Ancient Greek θερᾰ́πων (therắpōn) Ancient Greek -εύς (-eús) Ancient Greek -εύω (-eúō) Ancient Greek θεραπεύω (therapeúō) Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh2 Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ία (-ía) Ancient Greek θεραπεία (therapeía)bor. New Latin therapīabor. English therapy English hydrotherapy From hydro- + therapy.

Across languages

Translations

24 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: hidroteràpia — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • Chinese Mandarin: 水療 /水疗 (shuǐliáo) — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • Czech: vodoléčba — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • Dutch: watertherapie — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • Esperanto: hidroterapio — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • Finnish: vesiterapia — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • Finnish: vesihoito — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • French: hydrothérapie — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • German: Hydrotherapie — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • German: Wasserheilkunde — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • German: Hydropathie — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • Hebrew: הידרותרפיה — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • Hungarian: hidroterápia — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • Ido: hidroterapio — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • Italian: idroterapia — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • Japanese: 水療法 (mizu ryōhō) — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • Japanese: 水治療 (mizu chiryō) — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • Polish: wodolecznictwo — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • Polish: hydroterapia — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • Portuguese: hidroterapia — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • Russian: гидротерапи́я (gidroterapíja) — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • Russian: водолече́ние (vodolečénije) — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • Spanish: hidroterapia — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease
  • Thai: วารีบําบัด (waa-rii-bam-bàt) — technique that uses water for the treatment of disease