# submersible

Pronunciation: say "suhb-MUR-suh-buhl" US /səbˈmɝsəbəl/, UK /səbˈmɜːsəbəl/

## Noun

1. A small, nonmilitary, non-nuclear craft like a submarine but with more limited mobility, used for underwater exploration. *(British)*
   - Simple: A small underwater boat for exploring, not used for war and not nuclear-powered.
   - _The research team took turns diving in the submersible to study the old wreck._
   - _Unlike a full submarine, the little submersible can travel only a short distance under its own power._
3. A very small submarine built for specific local missions, usually tethered to a submarine or ship that supplies life support and communications. *(US)*
   - Simple: A tiny submarine for special nearby jobs, usually joined by a cable to a ship or submarine.
   - _The salvage team lowered a submersible on its tether to repair the damaged pipeline._
   - _Air and radio signals reached the submersible through the cable linking it to the mother ship._
4. A non-nuclear submarine, so called in hindsight to distinguish it from a nuclear submarine, which is regarded as the true submarine. *(British)*
   - Simple: A submarine without nuclear power, given the name later to tell it apart from nuclear ones.
   - _Compared with the nuclear boats that replaced it, the old diesel submersible had to surface regularly to recharge its batteries._
   - _The early U-boats were submersibles, quick on the surface but slow and short-ranged underwater._

## Adjective

2. Capable of being put or going completely under water or another liquid.
   - Simple: Able to go under water or be put under water.
   - _The farm uses a submersible pump to draw water from the well._
   - _The underwater lights in the fountain are fully submersible._

## Origin

Formed from submerse + -ible.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/submersible (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).