DCHP-2

hydro Hydro DCHP-2 (July 2016)

• 1 n. — abbreviation

  hydroelectric power; also hydro power.

  Type: 5. Frequency — Hydro is a clipping of hydroelectricity, a type of power that is generated by converting the force of flowing water into electricity. According to 2012 statistics from Natural Resources Canada, 59% of Canada's electric power supply comes from hydro power, making the country the "third largest producer of hydroelectricity in the world" (see NRCan reference). The US, in comparison, derives most of its electric power from fossil fuels (67%) and only 7% from hydro power (see EIA reference). Boberg (2010: 121) marks hydro as a regionalism, noting that it is primarily used in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, the provinces that contain hydroelectric power plants. The earliest Canadian attestation of the term appears in the early 20th century (see the 1916 quotation), a period when hydroelectric power generation underwent significant expansion and sites began appearing across the nation (Canadian Encyclopedia, s.v. "hydroelectricity"). Internet search results indicate the term is most prevalent in Canada (see Chart 1) and that the term is used throughout the country (see Chart 2).
  See also COD-2, s.v. "hydro" (1), which is marked "Cdn", ITP Nelson, s.v. "hydro" (1), which is marked "Canadian", Gage-1, s.v. "hydro" (1), which is marked "Cdn", and W-3, s.v. "¹hydro" (2a), which is marked "chiefly Canada".

  See also: Hydro  Hydro-Electric  

• 2 n.

  electricity as a utility.

  Type: 3. Semantic Change — Hydro power has become the most common form of electricity in some provinces, distributed by commissions and corporations like Hydro-Québec, Hydro One in Ontario, and BC Hydro. The term hydro consequently experienced a semantic shift from describing water-generated power to household power, however generated. It thus became common to refer to anything associated with the utility as hydro, i.e. hydro bill (see the 1949 quotation). This can lead to confusion for those who associate the hydro prefix exclusively with water and confuse their hydro bill -- their bill for electricity -- with their water bill.
  See also COD-2, s.v. "hydro" (4), which is marked "Cdn", ITP Nelson, s.v. "hydro" (2), which is marked "Canadian", Gage-1, s.v. "hydro" (2), which is marked "Cdn", and OED-3, s.v. "hydro" (n.2), which is described as being used in Canada.