# waterhole

> English word · Noun · frequency rank #69,577

## Definitions
1. A depression in which water collects, especially one where wild animals come to drink.
2. A watering hole; a place where people meet to drink and talk.
3. A part of the electromagnetic spectrum, between the regions where hydrogen and hydroxyl radiate, that is relatively quiet in terms of radio astronomy.

## Etymology
* water + hole.
* (astronomy): Coined by Bernard Oliver in 1971, in allusion to the idea that this part of the spectrum would be that used by extraterrestrial intelligence to communicate.

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