English

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old English wæter . Cognates include wet, Greek ὕδωρ (hydor), Latin unda, wave, Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐍄𐍉 (wato), German Wasser, Russian вода (voda).

Pronunciation

• wô'tə(r), /ˈwɔːtə(r)/, /"wO:t@(r)/

  Rhymes: -ɔːtə(r)

Noun

water (uncountable in most senses), plural waters

1. (uncountable) A clear liquid potable by humans and animals; the chemical H₂O, dihydrogen monoxide.
2. (sometimes countable) Mineral water.

   Perrier is the most popular water in this restaurant.

3. (countable, often in plural waters) Spa water.

   Many people visit Bath to take the waters.

4. (alchemy) One of the four basic elements.
5. (in plural) A sea belonging to particular country.

   territorial waters

6. (in plural) Any body of water, such as a river or a lake.

   He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. Psalms 23:2

7. (colloquial) Urine.
8. (in plural) amniotic fluid

   Before the child is born, the pregnant woman's waters breaks

9. (in plural) a complex or difficult situation

   to fish in troubled waters

   to stir the waters

10. awkward position

    to get into deep water

11. (informal) trouble

    to be in hot water over ill-chosen words

Translations

clear liquid H₂O

mineral water

spa water

in alchemy

waters: sea belonging to a particular country

waters: a body of water

Translations to be checked

The translations below need to be checked by native speakers and inserted into the appropriate table(s) above. The numbering is unreliable.

• Slovene: voda f (4, 5, 6)

Transitive verb

to water (watered , watered)

1. To provide (animals) with water.

   I need to go water the cattle.

2. To pour water into the soil surrounding (plants).

   Sally watered the plants.

3. (colloquial) To urinate.

Translations

provide (animals) with water

pour water into the soil surrounding (plants)

Translations to be checked

The translations below need to be checked by native speakers and inserted into the appropriate table(s) above.

• Breton: dourañ
• Esperanto: doni akvon
• Frisian: wetter jaan
• Galician: augar
• Guarani: mbo'y
• Interlingua: aquar , rigar
• Lithuanian: laistyti
• Norwegian: vanne
• Romanica: aquar , rigar
• Tupinambá: mbo'y
• Volapük: vatön

Derived terms

• make water
• water bailiff
• water bed
• water beetle
• water biscuit
• water board
• water boatman
• water buffalo
• water closet
• water colour
• water cooler
• watercourse
• water diviner
• water down
• water dropwort
• water equivalent
• waterfall
• water fowl , waterfowl
• water gate
• water hemlock
• water hole
• water hyacinth
• watering can
• water line
• waterlog
• water meadow
• water melon
• water mill
• water mocassin
• water nymph
• water of crystallisation
• water pistol
• water polo
• water power
• waterproof
• watershed
• water softener
• water spout
• water table
• watertight
• water vole
• water wheel
• water wings

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA : /'waːtər/

SAMPA:/wat3r/

Noun

water n (Plural: waters, Diminutive: watertje , Plural diminutive watertjes )

1. water

Intransitive verb

water

1. (first-person singular present tense of wateren ) pee, urinate