# shower

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈʃaʊ.ə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #3,026

## Definitions
1. A brief fall of precipitation (spell of rain, or a similar fall of snow, sleet, or cascade); burst of hefty precipitation.
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.
4. A quantity of something that has characteristics of a rain shower.
5. A party associated with a significant event in a person's life, at which the person usually receives gifts.
6. A party associated with a significant event in a person's life, at which the person usually receives gifts.
7. A party associated with a significant event in a person's life, at which the person usually receives gifts.
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.
9. A battle, an attack; conflict.
10. A shower of shit.
11. Used as an intensifying pluralizer or intensifier
12. A group of people perceived as incompetent or worthless.

## 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”).

## Easily confused with
- **shows** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shower-vs-shows)
- **shown** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shower-vs-shown)
- **sober** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shower-vs-sober)
- **Stowe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shower-vs-stowe)
- **showy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shower-vs-showy)
- **sowed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shower-vs-sowed)
- **sooner** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shower-vs-sooner)
- **slower** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shower-vs-slower)
- **slowed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shower-vs-slowed)
- **smoker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shower-vs-smoker)
- **stoner** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shower-vs-stoner)
- **snowed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shower-vs-snowed)
- **stoker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shower-vs-stoker)
- **stowed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shower-vs-stowed)
- **skewer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shower-vs-skewer)
- **stover** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shower-vs-stover)
- **show** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/show-vs-shower)
- **shoe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoe-vs-shower)
- **shoes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoes-vs-shower)
- **shore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shore-vs-shower)

## Common misspellings (9)
`hsower`, `shhower`, `shoewr`, `showerr`, `showre`, `showwer`, `shwoer`, `sohwer`, `sshower`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/shower