Scupper

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /ˈskʌp.ə/

Definitions

1. An opening on a ship's side for water drainage ; to ruin or stop a plan from succeeding
2. A channel that lets water drain off a vessel's deck ; to cause the failure of a scheme or attempt
3. A small opening used for draining water from a ship ; to deliberately foil or frustrate an action or intention

Etymology: The nautical sense came first. A scupper is an opening cut into a ship's side, or in the bulwarks along the deck, so that water shipped over the rail can run back out to sea. The word's origin is uncertain, but it may come from Middle English "scope" (a scoop) combined with the agent suffix "-er", or from Dutch "schop" (shovel) or "scheppen" (to draw off). Either way, the core idea is of water being scooped or drawn away. The verb meaning, "to ruin or thwart a plan," is less certain. It may be a verb formed from the nautical noun, which would make sense if a ship's drainage holes let its crew's efforts drain away, but the link is unclear and some sources treat it as unlikely. What is clear is that the sense of sinking or defeating something sits oddly beside the drainage original, which was about getting water out rather than letting it in.

Synonyms: sink, submerge, drown, overwhelm, destroy

Antonyms: float, rise, survive, save, rescue