water
English
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%A8_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%A1.jpg/220px-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%A8_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%A1.jpg)
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈwɔːtə/, enPR: wôˈ -tə
- (Standard Southern British) IPA(key): /ˈwoːtə/, [wo̞ːtʰə], [wo̞ːʔə]
Audio (Received Pronunciation): (file) Audio (UK): (file)
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈwɔtəɹ/, [ˈwɔɾɚ], enPR: wôtər
Audio (US, without the cot–caught merger): (file)
- (cot–caught merger) IPA(key): /ˈwɑtəɹ/, [ˈwɑɾɚ], enPR: wätər
Audio (US, cot–caught merger): (file)
- Rhymes: -ɔːtə(ɹ), -ɒtə(ɹ)
- Hyphenation: wa‧ter
- (Estuary English) IPA(key): [ˈwoːʔɐ], [ˈwoːʔə]
- (Cockney) IPA(key): [ˈwoʊʔə], [ˈwɔoɾɐ]
- (Northern England, dated; obsolete elsewhere) IPA(key): /ˈwætə/, [ˈwatə], [ˈwaɾɚ]
- (Scotland) IPA(key): /ˈwɔtər/, [ˈwɔtər]
- (dialectal) IPA(key): /ˈwɒtə/, /ˈwɒtəɹ/
- (New York City) IPA(key): [ˈwɔəɾə], [ˈwɔəɾɚ]
- (Philadelphia, Baltimore) IPA(key): /ˈwʊtəɹ/, [ˈwʊɾɚ], enPR: wo͝otər
- (Western Pennsylvania) IPA(key): /ˈwɔɹtəɹ/, [ˈwɔɹɾɚ], enPR: wôrtər
- (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA(key): /ˈwoːtə/, [ˈwoːɾə]
- (Ireland) IPA(key): /ˈwɔːtəɹ/, [ˈwɒːθ̠ɚ], [wɔːʔəɹ]
- (India) IPA(key): [ˈwɔʈə(r)], [ˈʋɔʈə(r)]
- (Tamil English) IPA(key): [ˈʋaːʈər(ɯ)], [ˈwaːʈər(ɯ)]
- (SAE) IPA(key): [ˈwoːtə]
- (Singapore, Malaysia) IPA(key): /ˈwɔtə/
Etymology 1
From Middle English water, from Old English wæter (“water”), from Proto-West Germanic *watar, from Proto-Germanic *watōr (“water”), from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥ (“water”). The development of the /ɔː/ vowel instead of expected */weɪtə(r)/ is irregular and has not been conclusively explained (compare father).
Cognate with cf, North Frisian weeter (“water”), Saterland Frisian Woater (“water”), West Frisian wetter (“water”), Dutch water (“water”), Low German Water (“water”), German Wasser, Old Norse vatn (Swedish vatten (“water”), Danish vand (“water”), Norwegian Bokmål vann (“water”), Norwegian Nynorsk and Icelandic vatn (“water”), Old Irish coin fodorne (“otters”, literally “water-dogs”), Latin unda (“wave”), Lithuanian vanduõ (“water”), Russian вода́ (vodá, “water”), Albanian ujë (“water”), Ancient Greek ὕδωρ (húdōr, “water”), Armenian գետ (get, “river”), Sanskrit उदन् (udán, “wave, water”), Hittite 𒉿𒀀𒋻 (wa-a-tar).
Noun
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Stilles_Mineralwasser.jpg/220px-Stilles_Mineralwasser.jpg)
water (countable and uncountable, plural waters)
- (uncountable) A substance (of molecular formula H2O) found at room temperature and pressure as a clear liquid; it is present naturally as rain, and found in rivers, lakes and seas; its solid form is ice and its gaseous form is steam.
- By the action of electricity, the water was resolved into its two parts, oxygen and hydrogen.
- 2013 September-October, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist:
- Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis: the ability to convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and waste oxygen using solar energy.
- (uncountable, in particular) The liquid form of this substance: liquid H2O.
- May I have a glass of water?
- Your plants need more water.
- 1835, Sir John Ross, Sir James Clark Ross, Narrative of a Second Voyage in Search of a North-west Passage …, Volume 1, pages 284–5:
- Towards the following morning, the thermometer fell to 5°; and at daylight, there was not an atom of water to be seen in any direction.
- 2002, Arthur T. Hubbard, Encyclopedia of Surface and Colloid Science, →ISBN, page 4895:
- A water drop placed on the surface of ice can either spread or form a lens depending on the properties of the three phases involved in wetting, i.e., on the properties of the ice, water, and gas phases.
- 2013 May 11, “The climate of Tibet: Pole-land”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8835, page 80:
- Of all the transitions brought about on the Earth’s surface by temperature change, the melting of ice into water is the starkest. It is binary. And for the land beneath, the air above and the life around, it changes everything.
- For more quotations using this term, see Citations:water.
- (countable) A serving of liquid water.
- 2006, Lori Foster, Erin McCarthy, Amy Garvey, Bad Boys of Summer, →ISBN, page 91:
- Joe bustled back and offered her a glass of wine but she shook her head. “Just a water, please.”
- (alchemy, philosophy) The aforementioned liquid, considered one of the Classical elements or basic elements of alchemy.
- He showed me the river of living water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God.
- (uncountable or in the plural) Water in a body; an area of open water.
- c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], page 138, column 2:
- Roſa. O vain peticioner, beg a greater matter,
Thou now requeſts but Mooneſhine in the water.
- 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
- 'Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard—peonies and such—in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed.
- 2019, VOA Learning English (public domain)
- And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
- The boat was found within the territorial waters.
- These seals are a common sight in the coastal waters of Chile.
- (poetic, archaic or dialectal) A body of water, almost always a river, sometimes a lake or reservoir, especially in the names given to such bodies.
- 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Acts viij:[36], folio clxvi, recto:
- And as they went on their waye
they cam vnto a certayne water
and the gelded man ſayde: Se here is water
what ſhall lett me to be baptiſed?
- 1842, Alfred Tennyson, “Morte d’Arthur”, in Poems. […], volume II, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 4:
- On one side lay the Ocean, and on one
Lay a great water, and the moon was full.
- 1865, William Allingham, editor, The Ballad Book: a selection of the choicest British ballads, William and May Margaret, or the Water of Clyde:
- But ere he came to Clyde's water, fu' loud the wind did blaw.
- A combination of water and other substance(s).
- (sometimes countable) Mineral water.
- Perrier is the most popular water in this restaurant.
- (countable, often in the plural) Spa water.
- Many people visit Bath to take the waters.
- (pharmacy) A solution in water of a gaseous or readily volatile substance.
- ammonia water
- Urine. [from 15th c.]
- 1999, George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings, Bantam, published 2011, page 458:
- Ser Dunaver's squire Jodge could not hold his water when he slept.
- Amniotic fluid or the amniotic sac containing it. (Used only in the plural in the UK but often also in the singular in North America.)
- Synonym: bag of waters
- Before the child is born, the pregnant woman’s water breaks. (North America)
- Before your child is born, your water(s) will break. (North America)
- Before the child is born, the pregnant woman’s waters break. (UK)
- (colloquial, medicine) Fluids in the body, especially when causing swelling.
- He suffers from water on the knee.
- (sometimes countable) Mineral water.
- (business, often attributive) The water supply, as a service or utility.
- Coordinate terms: electricity, internet, phone, power, sewer
- The city threatened to cut off our water after we went only a month without paying our bill.
- Did you leave the water running again?
- (figuratively, in the plural or in the singular) A state of affairs; conditions; usually with an adjective indicating an adverse condition.
- The rough waters of change will bring about the calm after the storm.
- (colloquial, figuratively) A person's intuition.
- Synonym: bones
- I know he'll succeed. I feel it in my waters.
- (uncountable, dated, finance) Excess valuation of securities.
- 1902 August 2, “Too Much Water to Suit Cummins”, in The Atlanta Constitution:
- Iowa Governor Will Fight Rock Island Reorganization. He Says That Under the New Plan Too Much Water Is Put Into the Stock—Believes Plan Is Out of Harmony with Iowa Laws.
- 1920 April 11, “Says Stock 'Water' Didn't Affect Fare”, in New York Times:
- the outstanding stock and bond obligations of the company were reduced from $34,000,000 to $24,000,000 by squeezing out the water.
- A particular quality or appearance suggestive of water:
- The limpidity and lustre of a precious stone, especially a diamond.
- a diamond of the first water is perfectly pure and transparent
- 1928, Virginia Woolf, Orlando: A Biography, London: The Hogarth Press, →OCLC; republished as Orlando: A Biography (eBook no. 0200331h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, July 2015:
- And when she raised it to see what caused this agitation, she saw nothing—nothing but the vast solitary emerald which Queen Elizabeth had given her. And was that not enough? she asked. It was of the finest water.
- A wavy, lustrous pattern or decoration such as is imparted to linen, silk, metals, etc.
- The limpidity and lustre of a precious stone, especially a diamond.
Alternative forms
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:water
- See also Thesaurus:urine
Hypernyms
- (chemical having the formula H2O): chemical, substance
- (liquid H2O): liquid, fluid
- (basic elements): element
- (urine): body fluid, bodily fluid, biofluid
Hyponyms
- (chemical having the formula H2O): heavy water; ice, steam, water vapor/water vapour
- (liquid H2O): drinkwater, freshwater, meltwater, mineral water; hard water, soft water
Meronyms
Coordinate terms
- (liquid H2O): ice, steam, water vapor/water vapour
- (basic elements): earth, air/wind, fire; wood, metal; void/ether
Derived terms
- above water
- above-water
- abyssopelagic water
- Allan Water
- American water spaniel
- American Water Spaniel
- ammonia water
- angel water
- anomalous water
- antiwater
- Apollinaris water
- artesian water
- Ashford-in-the-Water
- Atwater
- Australian water dragon
- a yard of pump water
- back water
- back-water
- backwater, back water, back-water
- Barbados water
- barley-water
- barley water
- barley water, barley-water
- bath water
- bathwater
- beanwater
- between wind and water
- bilgewater
- bilge water
- black-backed water tyrant
- black water
- black water, blackwater
- black-water rafting
- blood in the water
- blood is thicker than water
- blow out of the water
- blow something out of the water
- blow water
- blue water
- blue-water
- blue water, bluewater, blue-water
- blue-water navy
- body of water
- bongwater
- bore water
- bottled water
- Boundary Waters
- bound water
- Bourton-on-the-Water
- brackish water
- brackishwater
- branch-water
- branch water
- bread and water
- break water
- break water, breakwater
- Bridgewater
- bromine water
- brown-water navy
- bubble water
- burn the water
- Bywater
- Cairn Water
- carbonated water
- Carron Water
- carry someone's water
- carry water for
- cast someone's water
- casual water
- catchwater
- cat's water
- cedar water
- Chinese water chestnut
- Chinese water deer
- Chinese water torture
- chlorine water
- chum in the water
- Cincinnati water maze
- city water
- clary water
- clear blue water
- clearwater
- cloudwater
- coastal waters
- coconut water
- coldwater
- cold-water apartment
- cold-water, cold water
- Cold Water Creek
- coldwater flat
- cold water flat
- cold-water flat
- Cologne water
- come hell or high water
- couldn't pour water out of a boot
- couldn't pour water out of a boot with the instructions on the heel
- court holy water
- creekwater
- creeping water bug
- crispy water
- cutwater
- dead as ditch-water
- dead in the water
- dead water
- deep water
- Deep Water
- deep-water
- Deep Water Bay
- deep water, Deep Water, deep-water, deepwater, Deepwater
- deep-water solo
- Derwent Water
- Derwentwater, Derwent Water
- deuterated water
- dew water
- dew water, dewwater
- diamond-water paradox
- dillwater
- dill water
- dip one's toe in the water
- dishwater
- distilled water
- ditchwater
- domestic hot water
- doubly labeled water
- Douglas Water
- drinking water
- Drinkwater
- dripping water hollows a stone
- dyewater
- eastern water dragon
- Edgewater
- Egyptian water-lily
- Endrick Water
- Ettrick Water
- European water vole
- every miller draws water to his own mill
- Eye Water
- eyewater
- eye-watering
- fairwater
- feed water
- feedwater, feed water
- feeling in one's water
- feel in one's water
- firewater
- first water
- fish out of water
- fish-out-of-water
- fizzy water
- flatwater
- flat water
- flood water
- floodwater, flood water
- Florida water
- flower water
- forewater
- formation water
- fossil water
- fountain water
- fountain water, fountainwater
- fragrant water lily
- free water
- fresh water
- fresh-water
- freshwater, fresh-water
- Frisian water dog
- functional water
- Gala Water
- gangly drink of water
- gas water
- get the dirty water off one's chest
- giant water bug
- giggle water
- Gippsland water dragon
- Glaisnock Water
- glass water
- Glazert Water
- goat water
- goat-water
- go through fire and water
- go to water
- gray water
- gray water, grey water, graywater, greywater
- green water
- green-water navy
- grey water
- gripe water
- ground water
- ground water, groundwater
- gum water
- gypwater
- happy as a clam at high water
- hard water
- headwater
- headwaters
- heartwater
- heavy-water
- heavy water
- hell or high water
- hewers of wood and drawers of water
- hexagonal water
- high-water
- high water
- high water, highwater
- high-water mark
- hindwater
- hold one's head above water
- hold one's water
- hold water
- holy water
- holy water
- holy-water sprinkle
- holy water sprinkler
- hot water
- hot water bag
- hot-water bottle
- hot water bottle
- hot water bottle rash
- hot water can
- hot water heater
- Hungary water
- Hunza water
- iced water
- ice ice water
- ice water
- international waters
- Irish water spaniel
- Jack-in-the-water
- Javelle water
- Javel water
- jerk-water
- jerk water
- jerk water, jerk-water, jerkwater
- jerkwater town
- jerk water town
- juvenile water
- keep one's head above the water
- keep one's head above water
- lakewater
- Lancashire over the water
- large-headed water snake
- laughing water
- laurel water
- lavender water
- lemon water
- Liddel Water
- Liffey water
- light water
- light-water
- light water reactor
- like a duck takes to water
- like a duck to water
- like water
- like water off a duck's back
- lilacwater
- lime water
- lime water, limewater
- line drawn in water
- line drawn on water
- liquid water
- lithia water
- load water line
- long drink of water
- long-toed water beetle
- low water
- low-water mark
- Luggie Water
- Lunan Water
- make foul water
- make water
- mannish water
- meltwater
- meteoric water
- micellar water
- midwater
- milk-and-water
- mineral water
- miswater
- mop water
- mop water, mopwater
- Morris water maze
- Moscow Water Dog
- mouth-watering
- muddy the water
- mud water
- mud water, mudwater
- napha water
- nonwater
- northeastern water tick
- northern water dragon
- North Water
- not have both oars in the water
- oceanwater
- off the water wagon
- oil and water
- oil and water don't mix
- omum water
- one's teeth water
- on the water wagon
- open water
- orthowater
- overwater
- palaeowater
- paleowater
- pass water
- peach water
- personal water-craft
- personal water craft
- phossy water
- pink water
- piss water
- piss water, pisswater
- plague water
- plain water
- plantain water
- polywater
- pomewater
- pondwater
- poolwater
- porewater
- pore water pressure
- Portuguese Water Dog
- potash water
- pour cold water on
- pour oil on troubled waters
- preach water and drink wine
- precipitable water
- pressurized water reactor
- process hot water
- produced water
- puppy water
- push water uphill
- put one's toe in the water
- quarry water
- quarter water
- quicksilver water
- quick water
- quickwater
- quinine water
- rainwater
- rain water
- raw water
- red water
- red water, redwater
- reticulated water
- rice water
- river-water
- riverwater
- river water
- rock water
- rose water
- rose water, rosewater
- running water
- salt water
- saltwater
- salt-water
- salt water taffy
- Sapele water
- scrawny drink of water
- sea water
- sea water, seawater
- self-watering
- seltzer water
- semiheavy water
- semi-heavy water
- semi-heavy water, semiheavy water
- semiwater
- Shallowater
- Shallow Water
- shearwater, sheerwater
- sinkwater
- six-water grog
- skinny drink of water
- slack-water
- slack water
- slickwater
- smell blood in the water
- soda water
- soft water
- soft water, softwater
- Southampton Water
- Spanish Water Dog
- sparkling water
- spa water
- spend money like water
- spring water
- spring-water
- spring water, spring-water, springwater
- spunk-water
- spurnwater
- stickwater
- still water
- still water runs deep
- storm in a glass of water
- stormwater
- streamwater
- strong-water
- strong water
- stump-water
- sugarwater
- sugar water
- super heavy water
- super-heavy water
- superheavy water
- superwater
- surface water
- surfeit water
- swamp water
- Sweetwater
- sweet water
- sweetwater, sweet water
- table water
- tailwater
- take in water
- take on water
- take to something like a duck to water
- take water
- tall drink of water
- tall glass of water
- tap water
- tar water
- Teeswater
- territorial water
- territorial waters
- test the water
- test the waters, test the water
- the mill cannot grind with water that is past
- there must be something in the water
- the seventh water after kissel
- thin as a yard of pump water
- throw cold water on
- throw out the baby with the bath water
- throw the baby out with the bath water
- tide water
- tidewater
- Titicaca water frog
- toast water
- tobacco water
- toilet water
- tomato water
- tonic water
- too much water drowned the miller
- topwater
- treacle water
- tread water
- tritiated water
- Two Waters
- uncharted water
- under water
- under water, underwater
- unholy water
- unspoken water
- unwatering
- Van de Water
- velvet water bug
- Vichy water
- Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water
- Virginia Water
- walk on water
- warmwater
- warm-water port
- washwater
- waste-water
- waste water
- waste water, wastewater
- Wast Water
- water
- waterable
- water absorption
- water adder
- water aerobics
- waterage
- water allergy
- water anole
- water-arum
- water-bag
- water bag
- waterbag
- water bailage
- water bailie
- water bailiff
- water balance
- water ballet
- water balloon
- Water Banquet
- water bar
- waterbar
- water barometer
- water-based
- water-based, waterbased
- water basin
- water basket
- water-basket
- water bath
- water-bath
- water battery
- water bead
- water bear
- Water Bearer
- water-bed
- water bed
- water bed, water-bed, waterbed
- water beetle
- water-bellows
- water bewitched
- water bicycle
- waterbike
- water bike
- water birch
- water bird
- waterbird
- waterbirding
- water birth
- water birthing
- water biscuit
- water blink
- water blister
- water-blob
- water block
- water bloom
- water boa
- waterboard
- waterboat
- water boatman
- water body
- waterbody
- water boiler
- water boiler, waterboiler
- waterbok
- waterbomb
- water bomb
- water bomber
- water bong
- waterborne
- water-borne
- water bottle
- water bottle flipping
- water bottler
- water bottle, waterbottle
- water-bouget
- water box
- water boy
- water boy, waterboy
- water brash
- water break
- waterbreak
- water-breaker
- water breaker
- water bridge
- waterbuck
- water buffalo
- water buffalo calf
- water bug
- water bug, waterbug
- water bus
- water bus, waterbus
- water-butt
- water butt
- water cabbage
- water caltrop
- water camper
- water can
- water cannon
- water carriage
- water carrier
- water-carrier
- water cavy
- Water Cay
- water cell
- water cement
- waterchamber
- water chestnut
- water chicken
- water chinquapin
- watercise
- watercleft
- water clock
- water clock, waterclock
- watercloset
- water closet
- watercoaster
- watercock
- water coconut
- watercolour, watercolor
- water column
- water content
- water-cooled
- water-cooler
- water cooler
- water cooler effect
- water-cooler effect
- water cooler, watercooler
- water core
- water couch
- watercourse
- water cracker
- watercraft
- water crane
- water-cress
- watercress
- water crouton
- water crow
- water cure
- water-cure
- water cycle
- water deck
- water deer
- water devil
- water divide
- water diviner
- water divining
- water-dock
- waterdock
- water doctor
- waterdog
- water dog
- water down
- water dragon
- water drinker
- waterdrome
- waterdrop
- water dropwort
- water drum
- water dumping
- watered
- watered-down
- watered stock
- water elephant
- water engine
- water equivalent
- waterer
- waterfall
- waterfast
- water-fast
- water fear
- water-fear
- water feature
- water fight
- water fight, waterfight
- waterfilled
- waterfilling
- water finds its level
- water finds its own level
- water fire
- waterfit
- water fitness
- water flag
- water flea
- waterflood
- waterflow
- water flow
- water fluoridation
- waterfoot
- water footprint
- Waterford
- water for injection
- water fountain
- waterfowler
- waterfowling
- water fowl, waterfowl
- water frame
- water-free
- waterfree, water-free
- waterfright
- waterfrog
- water frog
- waterfront
- waterful
- water-gall
- watergang
- water-gang
- water gap
- water garden
- water gas
- water gate
- water gate, watergate
- water gauge
- water gilding
- water girl
- water glass
- watergrass
- water gruel
- waterguard
- water gun
- water gut
- water hammer
- water hardness
- water haul
- waterhead
- water heater
- Water Hemisphere
- water hemlock
- water hen
- water hen, waterhen
- water hog
- water-hole
- water hole
- waterhole, water-hole, water hole
- water horse
- water horsetail
- water horse, waterhorse
- waterhouse
- water-hugging
- water hyacinth
- water hyssop
- water ice
- water icing
- watering
- watering call
- watering can
- watering hole
- watering hole attack
- watering house
- watering place
- watering pot
- water injection
- water intoxication
- waterish
- Water Island
- water is wet
- water jacket
- water jet
- water joint
- waterjug
- water jump
- waterkeeper
- water key
- water knot
- water-laid
- waterland
- water landing
- water law
- water leader
- waterleaf
- water-leech
- water lemon
- water lens
- water lentil
- waterless
- water lettuce
- water-lettuce
- water lettuce, water-lettuce
- water level
- waterlike
- water lily
- water-lily
- water lily, waterlily
- water line
- water-line model
- water line, waterline
- waterling
- water locust
- waterlog
- water-log
- water log
- waterlogged
- water lot
- water louse
- water-loving
- waterly
- water main
- watermaker
- waterman
- Waterman
- watermanship
- water mantle
- watermark
- watermaster
- watermaze
- water maze
- water-meadow
- water meadow
- water-meadow, water meadow
- watermeal
- water measurer
- watermedia
- water melon
- watermelon
- water memory
- water meter
- water milfoil
- water milfoil, watermilfoil
- watermill
- water mill
- watermiller
- water millet
- watermilling
- water mill, watermill
- water mint
- water mite
- water moccasin
- water mold
- water mold (Oomycetes)
- watermole
- water mole
- watermonger
- water monitor
- water monkey
- water monster
- watermoss
- water motor
- water mouse
- water mower
- waterness
- water net
- water nymph
- water oak
- water of crystallisation
- water of crystallisation, water of crystallization
- water of crystallization
- water off a duck
- water off a duck's back
- water of hydration
- water of life
- waterologer
- water on the brain
- water on the chest
- water on the knee
- water opossum
- water organ
- water organist
- Water Orton
- water-ousel
- water ousel
- water ouzel
- water over the dam
- water parade
- water park
- water park, waterpark
- water parsnip
- water-parsnip
- water parting
- water pepper
- water-permeable
- waterphone
- water pick
- water pig
- water pill
- water pillar
- water pimpernel
- water pipe
- water pipe, waterpipe
- water pipit
- water pistol
- waterplane
- water plant
- water-plantain
- water plantain
- water plate
- waterplay
- water pocket
- waterpoint
- water poisoning
- water police
- water pollution
- water polo
- water polo player
- water popping
- water poppy
- water-porridge
- waterport
- waterpot
- water potential
- water power
- water-powered
- water power, waterpower
- water pox
- water-primrose
- water primrose
- water prince
- water privilege
- waterproof
- water-proof
- waterproofed
- water pump
- water pump pliers
- water purifier
- water purslane
- water-purslane
- water python
- waterquake
- water-race
- water race
- water rail
- water ram
- water-rat
- water rat
- water-rate
- water-rent
- water-repellent
- water repellent
- water-resistant
- water ribbons
- water right
- water rite
- Water-rock
- water rocket
- water roux
- Waters
- water-salamander
- water sandwich
- water sapphire
- waterscape
- water scavenger beetle
- water scooter
- water scorpion
- water's edge
- water seeks its level
- water seeks its own level
- water-shed
- watershed, water-shed
- watersheep
- water-shield
- water shield
- watershoot
- water shortage
- water shrew
- water sickness
- waterside
- water sign
- water skater
- water ski
- waterskier
- water-skier
- water skiing
- water-skiing
- water skiing, water-skiing, waterskiing
- waterskin
- water skipper
- water ski, water-ski, waterski
- watersky
- water-slickened
- water slide
- waterslide, water slide
- water-sliding
- watersmeet
- water smoke
- water snail
- water snake
- water-soak
- watersoaked
- water-soaked
- water softener
- water softening
- water soldier
- water-soluble
- water souchy
- water spaniel
- water speedwell
- water spider
- water spinach
- water sport
- water sport, watersport
- water spot
- water spout
- waterspout
- watersprout
- water sprout
- waterstained
- water starwort
- waterstone
- water stop
- waterstop
- Water Stratford
- waterstream
- water strider
- waterstuff
- water supply
- water table
- water tank
- water tap
- water taxi
- water telescope
- water tender
- water thermometer
- waterthief
- waterthrush
- water thrush
- waterthyme
- water tick
- watertight
- water-tight
- water to my mill
- water to one's mill
- water tower
- Watertown
- water toxemia
- water tree
- water treeing
- water trough
- water tunnel
- water turbine
- water turkey
- water twist
- water under the bridge
- Water Valley
- water vapor
- water vapor pressure
- water vapor, water-vapor
- water vapour
- water-vascular system
- water vascular system
- Waterville
- water violet
- water vole
- water wagon
- water wagtail
- waterwall
- waterward
- waterwards
- water wart
- waterway
- waterweed
- water-wheel
- water wheel
- water wheel, waterwheel
- water white
- water-white
- water willow
- water wing
- water wings
- waterwise
- water wisteria
- water witch
- water witcher
- water witching
- waterwoman
- waterwork
- waterworker
- water-works
- water works
- waterworks, water works
- waterworld
- water world
- waterworn
- water-worn
- waterwort
- waterworthy
- watery
- water yam
- water year
- waterzooi
- watsu
- weak as water
- wellwater
- white-water
- white water
- white water lily
- white-water rafting
- white water rafting
- white water, whitewater
- wirewater
- witch's water
- wood and water joey
- yellow-flowered water hyssop
- you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink
- you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink
- you can lead horses to water, but you can't make them drink
- you don't miss the water till the well runs dry
- you never miss the water till the well runs dry
- you never miss the water until the well runs dry
- Ziegler's Water Rat
- Ziegler's water rat
- ziment water
Descendants
- Antigua and Barbuda Creole English: wata
- Aukan: wataa
- Australian Kriol: woda
- Belizean Creole: waata
- Bislama: wota
- Cameroon Pidgin: wata
- Grenadian Creole English: wata
- Gullah: wata
- Islander Creole English: waata
- Jamaican Creole: wata
- Krio: wata
- Nicaraguan Creole: wáta
- Pichinglis: wàtá
- Pijin: wata
- Pitcairn-Norfolk: worta
- Saramaccan: wáta
- Sranan Tongo: watra
- Tok Pisin: wara
- → American Sign Language: 6@Chin
- → Catalan: vàter
- → Spanish: váter
Translations
Etymology 2
From Middle English wateren, from Old English wæterian, from Proto-Germanic *watrōną, *watrijaną, from Proto-Germanic *watōr (“water”), from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥ (“water”).
Verb
water (third-person singular simple present waters, present participle watering, simple past and past participle watered)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/To_water_the_coffee_tree_in_dry_season.jpg/220px-To_water_the_coffee_tree_in_dry_season.jpg)
- (transitive) To pour water into the soil surrounding (plants).
- 1900, L. Frank Baum, chapter 24, in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz:
- Aunt Em had just come out of the house to water the cabbages when she looked up and saw Dorothy running toward her.
- (transitive) To wet or supply with water; to moisten; to overflow with water; to irrigate.
- 1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
- tears watering the ground
- 1847 November 1, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline, a Tale of Acadie, Boston, Mass.: William D. Ticknor & Company, →OCLC, part I:
- Men whose lives glided on like rivers that water the woodlands.
- (transitive) To provide (animals) with water for drinking.
- I need to water the cattle.
- 2008, Oisin Curran, Mopus, page 34:
- While they watered and washed their horses, I talked with a red-capped man, some kind of chief.
- (intransitive) To get or take in water.
- The ship put into port to water.
- 1944 January and February, W. McGowan Gradon, “Forres as a Railway Centre”, in Railway Magazine, page 23:
- After working the 1.30 p.m. through train from Forres to Aberdeen as far as Elgin, she returns tender first with a local passenger train and is then coaled and watered at Forres shed, and eventually works back to Perth on the 10.20 p.m. through freight.
- (transitive, colloquial) To urinate onto.
- Nature called, so I stepped into the woods and watered a tree.
- (transitive) To dilute.
- Can you water the whisky, please?
- (transitive, dated, finance) To overvalue (securities), especially through deceptive accounting.
- 1930 April 10, “Calls Rail Holding Companies Threat”, in The Sun:
- such agencies would make it possible for the railroads to water stock and evade the law subjecting security issues to public regulation
- (intransitive) To fill with or secrete water or similar liquid.
- Chopping onions makes my eyes water.
- The smell of fried onions makes my mouth water.
- (transitive) To wet and calender, as cloth, so as to impart to it a lustrous appearance in wavy lines; to diversify with wavelike lines.
- to water silk
Synonyms
- (urinate): (see the list of synonyms in the entry "urinate")
- (dilute): water down
Antonyms
- (antonym(s) of “dilute”): refine
Derived terms
Translations
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Further reading
- “water”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “water”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
Anagrams
Afrikaans
Etymology
From Dutch water, from Middle Dutch wāter, from Old Dutch watar, from Proto-West Germanic *watar, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥.
Pronunciation
Noun
water (plural waters)
- water
- any artificial fluid similar to water
- (colloquial) urine
- any body of water, such as a river or a lake
- a disease where water is accumulated; hydrops
- (in the plural) a large quantity of water; inundation
Verb
water (present water, present participle waterende, past participle gewater)
Derived terms
References
- Jan Kromhout, Afrikaans-English, English-Afrikaans Dictionary (2001)
Dutch
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈʋaːtər/, (Belgium) [β̞aːtər], (Netherlands) [ʋaːtər]
Audio (Netherlands): (file) - Rhymes: -aːtər
- Hyphenation: wa‧ter
Etymology 1
From Middle Dutch wāter, from Old Dutch watar, from Proto-West Germanic *watar, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥.
Noun
water n (plural waters or wateren, diminutive watertje n)
- water (H2O)
- Het water kookte.
- The water boiled.
- body of water (such as a lake, ditch or stream)
- bodily fluid (especially amniotic fluid)
Derived terms
- badwater
- bronwater
- chloorwater
- danswater
- drinkwater
- grondwater
- hoogwater
- ijswater
- in het water vallen
- koningswater
- kwelwater
- leidingwater
- mineraalwater
- mondwater
- Quackjeswater
- regenwater
- reukwater
- rivierwater
- rozenwater
- slootwater
- smeltwater
- spawater
- spraakwater
- suikerwater
- theewater
- vaarwater
- vuurwater
- water bij de wijn doen
- water naar de zee dragen
- waterballet
- waterberging
- waterbouwkunde
- watercrassula
- waterdier
- waterdrager
- wateren
- watereppe
- waterfiets
- watergeus
- waterhoen
- waterhond
- waterhoos
- waterig
- waterijs
- waterinhoud
- waterjuffer
- waterkanon
- waterkering
- waterkoker
- waterkringloop
- waterleiding
- waterlobelia
- waterman
- watermeloen
- watermolen
- waterpas
- waterpeper
- waterplaats
- waterplant
- waterpokken
- waterpolo
- waterprobleem
- waterput
- waterrad
- waterral
- waterrat
- waterrietzanger
- waterschap
- waterschout
- waterschouw
- waterslang
- watersnood
- waterspitsmuis
- watersport
- waterspreeuw
- waterspuwer
- waterstaat
- waterstand
- waterstof
- watertanden
- watertoren
- watertrappelen
- waterval
- waterverf
- waterviolier
- watervlakte
- watervliegtuig
- watervogel
- watervrees
- waterweegbree
- waterzooi
- waterzuring
- wijwater
- woelwater
- zeewater
- zwartwater
- zwemwater
Descendants
- Afrikaans: water
- Javindo: water
- Negerhollands: watu, water, water, waeter
- Petjo: watter
- Skepi Creole Dutch: water
- →? Sranan Tongo: watra
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
water
- inflection of wateren:
Further reading
- “water” in Van Dale Onlinewoordenboek, Van Dale Lexicografie, 2007.
Anagrams
Dutch Low Saxon
Alternative forms
Etymology
Noun
water
See also
French
Etymology
Ellipsis of water-closet, borrowed from English water closet.
Pronunciation
Noun
water m (plural waters)
Synonyms
Derived terms
Further reading
- “water”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Italian
Etymology
Pseudo-anglicism, a clipping of English water closet.
Pronunciation
Noun
water m (invariable)
References
- ^ water in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)
Limburgish
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle Dutch wāter, from Old Dutch watar, from Proto-West Germanic *watar, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥.
Noun
water n
- water
- body of water
Derived terms
References
- Stefaan Top, Limburgs sagenboek (2004), page 45
Middle Dutch
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
wāter n
Inflection
Descendants
Further reading
- “water”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
- Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “water”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN
Middle English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old English wæter, from Proto-West Germanic *watar, from Proto-Germanic *watōr.
Pronunciation
Noun
water (plural wateres)
- water (liquid H2O)
- c. 1190, Layamon, Brut, MS. Cotton Caligula A ix edition:
- al ſwa great ſwa a beam:
þe he leide in ane walle ſtream.
Þe ilke makeð þat water hot:
& þan folc halwende.- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- water vapour, condensation
- lake, pond, ocean, canal, body of water
- water source, spring, well, fount
- solution, liquid mixture
Quotations
- For quotations using this term, see Citations:water.
Derived terms
Descendants
- English: water (see there for further descendants)
- Geordie English: watter, wetter
- Scots: watter
- Yola: waudher, wadher
References
- “wā̆ter, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-03-20.
Middle Low German
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
wāter n
- water
- 1537, Jürgen Richolff the Younger, Datt högeste unde öldeste water recht, section XXVIII:
Declension
Singular | Plural | |
---|---|---|
nominative | wāter | wāter |
accusative | wāter | wāter |
dative | wāteres | wātere |
genitive | wātere | wāteren |
Middle Low German nouns often switch to other declension classes, and new declension patterns are created throughout the period. As such, this table need not necessarily portray the only existing pattern but might merely be an exemplary of an original or common form. |
Descendants
- German Low German: Water
Occitan
Etymology
Shortened form of English water closet.
Noun
water m
Old English
Pronunciation
Noun
water n
- Alternative form of wæter
Declension
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/ɔːtə(ɹ)
- Rhymes:English/ɔːtə(ɹ)/2 syllables
- Rhymes:English/ɒtə(ɹ)
- Rhymes:English/ɒtə(ɹ)/2 syllables
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wed-
- English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- English terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- en:Alchemy
- en:Philosophy
- English poetic terms
- English terms with archaic senses
- English dialectal terms
- en:Pharmacy
- English colloquialisms
- en:Medicine
- en:Business
- English dated terms
- en:Finance
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- en:Water
- Afrikaans terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Afrikaans terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wed-
- Afrikaans terms inherited from Dutch
- Afrikaans terms derived from Dutch
- Afrikaans terms inherited from Middle Dutch
- Afrikaans terms derived from Middle Dutch
- Afrikaans terms inherited from Old Dutch
- Afrikaans terms derived from Old Dutch
- Afrikaans terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- Afrikaans terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- Afrikaans terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Afrikaans terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Afrikaans terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European
- Afrikaans terms with IPA pronunciation
- Afrikaans terms with audio links
- Afrikaans lemmas
- Afrikaans nouns
- Afrikaans colloquialisms
- Afrikaans verbs
- Dutch terms with IPA pronunciation
- Dutch terms with audio links
- Rhymes:Dutch/aːtər
- Rhymes:Dutch/aːtər/2 syllables
- Dutch terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Dutch terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wed-
- Dutch terms inherited from Middle Dutch
- Dutch terms derived from Middle Dutch
- Dutch terms inherited from Old Dutch
- Dutch terms derived from Old Dutch
- Dutch terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- Dutch terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- Dutch terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Dutch terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Dutch terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European
- Dutch lemmas
- Dutch nouns
- Dutch nouns with plural in -s
- Dutch nouns with plural in -en
- Dutch neuter nouns
- Dutch terms with usage examples
- Dutch non-lemma forms
- Dutch verb forms
- nl:Water
- Dutch Low Saxon terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Dutch Low Saxon terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wed-
- Dutch Low Saxon terms inherited from Old Saxon
- Dutch Low Saxon terms derived from Old Saxon
- Dutch Low Saxon lemmas
- Dutch Low Saxon nouns
- Drents
- Twents
- French terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- French terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wed-
- French ellipses
- French terms borrowed from English
- French terms derived from English
- French 2-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French terms spelled with W
- French masculine nouns
- Italian terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Italian terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wed-
- Italian pseudo-loans from English
- Italian terms derived from English
- Italian 2-syllable words
- Italian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Italian/ater
- Rhymes:Italian/ater/2 syllables
- Italian lemmas
- Italian nouns
- Italian indeclinable nouns
- Italian countable nouns
- Italian terms spelled with W
- Italian masculine nouns
- Italian colloquialisms
- Limburgish terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Limburgish terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wed-
- Limburgish terms inherited from Middle Dutch
- Limburgish terms derived from Middle Dutch
- Limburgish terms inherited from Old Dutch
- Limburgish terms derived from Old Dutch
- Limburgish terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- Limburgish terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- Limburgish terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Limburgish terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Limburgish terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European
- Limburgish lemmas
- Limburgish nouns
- Limburgish neuter nouns
- Middle Dutch terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Middle Dutch terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wed-
- Middle Dutch terms inherited from Old Dutch
- Middle Dutch terms derived from Old Dutch
- Middle Dutch terms with IPA pronunciation
- Middle Dutch lemmas
- Middle Dutch nouns
- Middle Dutch neuter nouns
- dum:Liquids
- Middle English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Middle English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wed-
- Middle English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- Middle English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- Middle English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Middle English terms derived from Old English
- Middle English terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European
- Middle English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Middle English terms inherited from Old English
- Middle English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Middle English lemmas
- Middle English nouns
- Middle English terms with quotations
- enm:Beverages
- enm:Water
- Middle Low German terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Middle Low German terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wed-
- Middle Low German terms inherited from Old Saxon
- Middle Low German terms derived from Old Saxon
- Middle Low German terms with IPA pronunciation
- Middle Low German lemmas
- Middle Low German nouns
- Middle Low German neuter nouns
- Middle Low German terms with quotations
- Occitan terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Occitan terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wed-
- Occitan terms borrowed from English
- Occitan terms derived from English
- Occitan lemmas
- Occitan nouns
- Occitan masculine nouns
- Occitan colloquialisms
- Old English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Old English lemmas
- Old English nouns
- Old English neuter nouns
- Old English neuter a-stem nouns