water

See also: wáter, wàter, wāter, and Water

English

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A water molecule.

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English water, from Old English wæter (“water”), from Proto-Germanic *watōr (“water”), from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥ (“water”).

cognates

Cognate with Scots wattir, watir (“water”), North Frisian weeter (“water”), Saterland Frisian Woater (“water”), West Frisian wetter (“water”), Dutch water (“water”), Low German Water (“water”), German Wasser, Norwegian Bokmål vann (“water”), Swedish vatten (“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).

Pronunciation
  • (United Kingdom)
    • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈwɔːtə/
      • Audio (UK)(file)
    • (England, Estuary English) IPA(key): [woːʔɐ]
    • (dialectal) IPA(key): /ˈwɒtə/, /ˈwɒtəɹ/
  • (North America)
    • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈwɔtəɹ/, [ˈwɔɾɚ], enPR: wôtər
    • (US, cot–caught merger, Canada) IPA(key): /ˈwɑtəɹ/, [ˈwɑɾɚ], enPR: wŏtər
      • Audio (US)(file)
    • (Philadelphia) IPA(key): /ˈwʊtəɹ/, [ˈwʊɾɚ]
  • (General Australian) IPA(key): /ˈwoːtə/, [ˈwoːɾə]
  • (General New Zealand) IPA(key): /ˈwoːtɘ/
  • (Indian English) IPA(key): [ˈʋɔːtə], [ˈʋɔːtəɹ]
  • Audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: wa‧ter
  • Rhymes: -ɔːtə(ɹ), -ɒtə(ɹ)

Noun
water (1,2)

water (countable and uncountable, plural waters)

  1. (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.
    1. (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, pp.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 examples of usage of this term, see Citations:water.
    2. (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.”
  2. (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.
  3. (uncountable or in the plural) Water in a body; an area of open water.
    • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 1, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:
      '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)
      The president expressed hope that creating rain over waters between the countries would help reduce pollution.
      Audio (US)(file)
    The boat was found within the territorial waters.
    These seals are a common sight in the coastal waters of Chile.
  4. (poetic, archaic or dialectal) A body of water, almost always a river.
    • 1865, William Allingham (ed.), 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.
    • 1526, William Tyndale (tr.), Bible, Acts VIII:
      And as they went on their waye, they cam unto a certayne water, and the gelded man sayde: Se here is water, what shall lett me to be baptised?
    • (Can we date this quote?)
      (Can we date this quote?), Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Morte D'Arthur:
      On one side lay the Ocean, and on one / Lay a great water, and the moon was full.
  5. A combination of water and other substance(s).
    1. (sometimes countable) Mineral water.
      Perrier is the most popular water in this restaurant.
    2. (countable, often in the plural) Spa water.
      Many people visit Bath to take the waters.
    3. (pharmacy) A solution in water of a gaseous or readily volatile substance.
      ammonia water
    4. Urine. [from 15th c.]
      • 1999, George RR Martin, A Clash of Kings, Bantam, published 2011, page 458:
        Ser Dunaver's squire Jodge could not hold his water when he slept.
    5. Amniotic fluid; used only in the plural in the UK but often also in the singular in North America, especially to avoid cacophony, as in this example: (The Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary says "often used in plural; also: 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)
    6. (colloquial, medicine) Fluids in the body, especially when causing swelling.
      He suffers from water on the knee.
  6. (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.
  7. (colloquial, figuratively) A person's intuition.
    I know he'll succeed. I feel it in my waters.
  8. (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.
  9. The limpidity and lustre of a precious stone, especially a diamond.
    a diamond of the first water is perfectly pure and transparent
  10. A wavy, lustrous pattern or decoration such as is imparted to linen, silk, metals, etc.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Hypernyms

Hyponyms

Meronyms

Derived terms
Terms derived from water (noun)

Borrowed terms
terms borrowed from water

Translations
mineral water — see mineral water
body of water, or specific part of it
amniotic fluid — see amniotic fluid

Verb

water (third-person singular simple present waters, present participle watering, simple past and past participle watered)

to water (1)
  1. (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.
  2. (transitive) To wet or supply with water; to moisten; to overflow with water; to irrigate.
    • (Can we date this quote?) John Milton
      tears watering the ground
    • (Can we date this quote?) Longfellow
      Men whose lives glided on like rivers that water the woodlands.
  3. (transitive) To provide (animals) with water for drinking.
    I need to go water the cattle.
  4. (intransitive) To get or take in water.
    The ship put into port to water.
  5. (transitive, colloquial) To urinate onto.
    Nature called, so I stepped into the woods and watered a tree.
  6. (transitive) To dilute.
    Can you water the whisky, please?
  7. (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
  8. (intransitive) To fill with or secrete water.
    Chopping onions makes my eyes water.
    The smell of fried onions makes my mouth water.
  9. (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

Antonyms

Derived terms
Terms derived from the verb water

Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked

Further reading
  • water in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
  • water in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch water. Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *watōr, from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈvɑːtər/

Noun

water (plural waters)

  1. water
  2. any artificial fluid similar to water
  3. (colloquial) urine
  4. any body of water, such as a river or a lake
  5. a disease where water is accumulated; hydrops
  6. (in the plural) a large quantity of water; inundation

Verb

water (present water, present participle waterende, past participle gewater)

  1. to urinate
  2. to secrete liquid

Derived terms

References
  • Jan Kromhout, Afrikaans-English, English-Afrikaans Dictionary (2001)

Dutch

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈʋaːtər/
  • audio (Belgium, the first one)(file)
  • audio (Netherlands)(file)
  • Rhymes: -aːtər
  • Hyphenation: wa‧ter

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch wāter, from Old Dutch watar, water, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥.

Noun

water n (plural waters or wateren, diminutive watertje n)

  1. water (H2O)
    Het water kookte.
    The water boiled.
  2. body of water (such as a lake, ditch or stream)
  3. bodily fluid (especially amniotic fluid)
Derived terms
Terms derived from water
Descendants

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the main entry.

Verb

water

  1. first-person singular present indicative of wateren
  2. imperative of wateren

Further reading
  • “water” in Van Dale Onlinewoordenboek, Van Dale Lexicografie, 2007.

Anagrams

Dutch Low Saxon

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old Saxon watar, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥.

Noun

water

  1. (Drents, Twents) water

See also

French

Etymology

Ellipsis of water-closet, borrowed from English water closet.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /wa.tɛʁ/
  • Audio(file)

Noun

water m (plural waters)

  1. toilet, bathroom
  2. Ellipsis of water-closet

Italian

Etymology

Shortened form of English water closet (W.C.)

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈva.ter/, [ˈväːt̪er]

Noun

water m (invariable)

  1. toilet bowl
  2. (colloquial) water closet, toilet

Limburgish

Etymology

From Middle Dutch wāter, from Old Dutch watar, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥.

Noun

water n

  1. water
  2. body of water

Inflection
Inflection
Root singular Root plural Diminutive singular Diminutive plural
Nominative water watere waeterke waeterkes
Genitive waters watere waeterkes waeterkes
Locative wateves watevese waeterke waeterkes
Dative¹ watevem ? ? ?
Accusative¹ water watere ? ?
  • Dative and accusative are nowadays obsolete, use nominative instead.
  • Plural and diminutive only used for the meaning body of water.

Derived terms

References
  • Stefaan Top, Limburgs sagenboek (2004), page 45

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch watar, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈwaːtər/

Noun

wāter n

  1. water

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

Further reading
  • “water”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
  • “water”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, 1929

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old English wæter, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈwatər/, /ˈwaːtər/

Noun

water (plural wateres)

  1. 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 quote)
  2. water vapour, condensation
  3. lake, pond, ocean, canal, body of water
  4. water source, spring, well, fount
  5. solution, liquid mixture

Quotations
  • For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:water.

Derived terms

Descendants

References

Middle Low German

Etymology

From Old Saxon watar, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥.

Pronunciation
  • (originally) IPA(key): /waːtər/

Noun

wāter n

  1. water
    • 1537, Jürgen Richolff the Younger, Datt högeste unde öldeste water recht, xxviii:
      Eyn schip effte twe effte meer liggen in einer hauen dar kleyn water is / vnde plecht dröge tho synde / also dat dat eyne schip hart by dem andern tho liggende kumpt […]
      A ship or two or more lie in a port with little water, which tends to be dry, so that one the ship comes to lie close by the other […]

Declension
Declension of water
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

Occitan

Etymology

Shortened form of English water closet.

Noun

water m

  1. (colloquial) water closet, toilet, rest room
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