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sewer gas

sewer gas

5.8
A bad-smelling air from drains and underground pipes that can be dangerous
  • noun
  • /ˈsuːər ɡæs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : gas de alcantarilla
  • If you notice a strong, unpleasant smell in your home, it could be sewer gas seeping in from the plumbing.
  • smelled sewer gas

It does not bubble up swamp sewer gas and there's no leaks.

Examples

  • They are designed to prevent sewer gases, insects, and rodents from entering the living space.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Sewer gas.

  • It does not bubble up swamp sewer gas and there's no leaks.

  • In interviews with officials from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Health Department, Amoy Gardens residents indicated that they often smelled sewer gas in bathrooms.

    Academic text (2006)
  • These written materials would advise occupants to notify maintenance staff of sewer gas odors, pipe leaks, bubbles in toilets, and so forth.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The WHO environmental team verified, through odor detection and smoke tests, that sewer gas and aerosolized droplets were being drawn into the bathrooms from the plumbing system, with sewer gas velocity and droplet volume in direct proportion to fan power.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The WHO environmental team verified, through odor detection and smoke tests, that sewer gas and aerosolized droplets were being drawn into the bathrooms from the plumbing system, with sewer gas velocity and droplet volume in direct proportion to fan power.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The odor that filled the basement was unmistakably sewer gas, a clear sign of a plumbing issue.

  • He opened the window quickly to let fresh air in, as the room was filled with the foul odor of sewer gas.

Synonyms

effluvium
vssewer gas
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A bad smell of gases from decaying or chemical waste

is limited to foul gases produced in underground waste systems
rotten egg gas
vssewer gas
  • Specialized
6.0

A dangerous gas that smells like rotten eggs

is a mixture from decomposing waste rather than a single toxic gas

How Smelly

sewer gas
  • Specialized
5.8
smelly
118 1.0
odorless
  • US
11 3.0

Surface Forms

sewer gas singular
sewer gases plural

Morphology

sewer + gas

The meaning 'a foul-smelling gas produced in sewers' is directly and compositionally derived from 'sewer' (wastewater pipe) + 'gas' (gaseous substance): it literally denotes gas coming from a sewer. This straightforward noun-noun compound follows common cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Sewer gas comes from a simple picture: the gas that rises from a sewer where waste rots and makes a strong, bad smell. That's why the phrase means the foul, often 'harmful' gas that can get into a house.