This disease is waterborne and spreads through drinking water.

waterborne 是由名词 water（水）和形容词后缀 -borne（由...携带的）组成的复合形容词。borne 来自动词 bear（携带、承受）的过去分词形式。waterborne 字面意思是"由水携带的"，引申为"通过水传播的"。