Word: shower Part of Speech: noun 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 (sjévjer), сі́вер (sívjer), Bulgarian and Russian се́вер (séver, “north”), Czech and Slovak sever (“north”), Macedonian север (sever, “north”), Serbo-Croatian sȅvēr, sjȅvēr (“north”), Slovene sẹ́ver (“north”), Ukrainian сі́вер (síver, “cold, cold, bitter wind”). Pronunciation: /ˈʃaʊ.ə(ɹ)/, /ˈʃuː.ɐ/, /ˈʃaʊ.ɚ/ 1. A brief fall of precipitation (spell of rain, or a similar fall of snow, sleet, or cascade); burst of hefty precipitation. Example: Today there will be frequent showers and some sunny spells. Example: They are wet with the showres of the mountaines, and imbrace the rocke for want of a shelter. 2. A device for bathing by which water is made to fall on the body from a height, either from a tank or by the action of a pump. 3. An instance of using of this device in order to bathe oneself. Example: I’m going to have a shower. Example: I’m going to take a shower. 4. A quantity of something that has characteristics of a rain shower. Example: a shower of sparks; a meteor shower; a Gatorade shower Example: The lights of Luluabourg disappeared, and we were in the blackness of the African night, which was continuously pierced by the showers of red sparks ejected skywards and red hot ashes deposited on the track as the fireman rocked his fire. 5. A party associated with a significant event in a person's life, at which the person usually receives gifts. Example: Would male strippers be appropriate for the divorce shower? Example: Her church group has planned an adoption shower. 6. A party associated with a significant event in a person's life, at which the person usually receives gifts. Example: The shower will be held at the home of the bridesmaid. 7. A party associated with a significant event in a person's life, at which the person usually receives gifts. Example: Her friends are throwing her a shower after her mom leaves. 8. A pattern where the juggler passes objects horizontally from one hand to the other around chest height, and upward over the juggler's head to return to the first hand. Example: See also shower (juggling) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia 9. A battle, an attack; conflict. Labels: obsolete Example: With this I maye be sure to come sauf / and goo sauf / and that the quene shal haue her lyberte as she had before / and neuer for no thynge that hath ben surmysed afore this tyme / she neuer fro this day stande in no peryll / for els sayd sir launcelot I dare auenture me to kepe her from an harder shoure than euer I kepte her 10. A shower of shit. Labels: Australia, Ireland, UK, derogatory Example: You all behaved like a shower, now you are to be treated like a shower 11. Used as an intensifying pluralizer or intensifier. Labels: Ireland, derogatory, euphemistic Example: It was one of the worst feelings in the H-Block, one of the worst experiences to sit and listen to somebody getting beat. Because you were totally powerless, and you would always get somebody shouting at the door, “You shower of bastards!” It was always a crowd of screws and one or two naked men in a cell. They had total control. 12. A group of people perceived as incompetent or worthless. Labels: UK, informal, singular Example: But when I tweeted it out, most of the responses (from the more than one million viewers) were along the lines of: 'what do you expect from this shower?