# water

Pronunciation: US say "WAW-tur" /ˈwɔ.təɹ/; UK say "WAW-tuh" /ˈwɔː.tə/

## Noun

1. The clear, colorless compound H₂O that falls as rain, forms seas, lakes, and rivers, and is essential to life; usually the liquid, whose solid form is ice and whose gas is steam or water vapor.
   - Simple: The clear liquid in rain, rivers and seas that all life needs. It freezes into ice and boils into steam.
   - _The ice on the pond melted into water by noon._
   - _Liquid water covers about seventy percent of Earth's surface._
2. An area of open water, such as the expanse of a sea, lake, or river.
   - Simple: An area of open water, like the wide part of a sea or lake.
   - _The ferry crossed forty miles of open water between the islands._
   - _Rescue crews searched the waters off the coast through the night._
3. A serving of liquid water, such as a glass or bottle offered as a drink.
   - Simple: A glass or bottle of water served as a drink.
   - _The waiter brought a water for each guest at the table._
   - _He grabbed two waters from the cooler before the hike._
4. The piped supply of water provided to homes and businesses as a service or utility.
   - Simple: The supply of water that comes to a building through pipes, which people pay for.
   - _The city raised water rates by six percent this year._
   - _Is water included in the rent, or do we pay it separately?_
8. The amniotic fluid surrounding a fetus, or the sac that contains it.
   - Simple: The liquid that surrounds a baby inside its mother, or the thin bag that holds it.
   - _Her water broke during the staff meeting, two weeks ahead of her due date._
   - _The midwife explained what to do once the water breaks._
7. A liquid made by dissolving or mixing another substance in water, as in cooking water, rose water, or ammonia water.
   - Simple: A liquid with something mixed or dissolved in it, like rose water or the liquid left from cooking beans.
   - _Save the water the beans cooked in; it is thick with starch and makes a rich base for soup._
   - _Infused waters, flavored with sliced fruit or fresh herbs, have become a popular alternative to soda._
9. A state of affairs or set of conditions, usually an adverse one indicated by an accompanying adjective.
   - Simple: A situation or set of conditions, usually a bad one.
   - _The senator has been in hot water ever since the leaked memo surfaced._
   - _After the merger fell through, the firm sailed into rough waters._
12. Fluid that collects in the body's tissues or cavities, especially when it causes swelling. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Liquid that builds up inside the body and can make parts of it swell.
   - _After the long flight, she was retaining water and her ankles were swollen._
   - _He had water on the knee after the fall and kept the leg elevated._
13. Mineral water from a natural spring, drunk plain or carbonated or used for bathing at a spa ('take the waters').
   - Simple: Spring water that has minerals in it, drunk or bathed in at a spa.
   - _Their best-selling water rises from a mineral spring in the Alps._
   - _Each region's waters carry a distinctive taste from the local rock._
14. The liquid H₂O regarded as one of the four classical elements, alongside earth, air, and fire, in ancient philosophy and alchemy.
   - Simple: One of the four basic elements in old science, along with earth, air, and fire.
   - _Greek philosophers held that water, together with earth, air, and fire, composed all matter._
   - _The alchemist's diagram placed water opposite fire among the four elements._
15. Urine, as a polite or indirect term, especially in phrases like 'pass water' and 'make water.'
   - Simple: A polite word for urine, the liquid waste that leaves your body.
   - _The physician examined the patient's water for signs of infection._
   - _Unable to pass water, the old man was taken to the hospital._
17. Something that dilutes, or that has the effect of watering things down. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Anything that makes something weaker or less interesting when it is added.
19. A person's intuition; chiefly heard in the phrase 'in one's water.' *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A feeling deep inside that tells you something is true or will happen.
   - _He felt it in his water that the deal would fall through._
   - _She knew in her water that the letter carried bad news._

## Verb

5. To pour or sprinkle water on plants or land; of a river, to flow through an area and supply it with water.
   - Simple: To give plants or land water, or, for a river, to flow through an area and bring it water.
   - _She watered the seedlings before the sun got too hot._
   - _Gardeners water their beds early in the morning to reduce evaporation._
6. To fill with or secrete water or a similar liquid, as the eyes do with tears or the mouth with saliva.
   - Simple: To fill up with tears, saliva, or other liquid.
   - _Her eyes watered in the cold wind._
   - _Their mouths water at the first sight of the dessert cart._
10. To let animals drink, or supply them with drinking water.
   - Simple: To give water to animals so they can drink.
   - _The riders stopped at the creek to water their horses._
   - _Ranch hands watered the cattle twice a day during the heat wave._
11. To dilute, especially by adding water.
   - Simple: To make a drink or liquid weaker by adding water.
   - _The tavern keeper was accused of watering the wine._
   - _Some vendors water their milk to stretch the supply._
16. To urinate onto something or someone. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To pee onto something, the way a dog wets a lamppost.
   - _Halfway through the hike, he slipped behind a boulder to water the bushes._
   - _The tomcat had watered the doorstep again, and the smell lingered for days._
18. To take in or obtain a supply of water, as a ship at port or animals at a stream.
   - Simple: To stop and drink water, or to take on a supply of water.
   - _Steamships watered at stations along the river route._
   - _The cattle water at the pond each evening._

## Noun

20. A river, or occasionally a lake or reservoir, found chiefly in proper names such as Afton Water. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A river or lake, used mostly in old or local names like Afton Water.
   - _Anglers lined the banks of Yarrow Water at dawn, hoping for trout._
   - _The old stone mill still stands beside Ettrick Water, a mile south of the village._
21. Excess or inflated valuation in a company's securities, beyond what its underlying assets justify. *(dated)*
   - Simple: Extra value given to a company's shares that is not based on real worth.
   - _Analysts warned that the railroad's stock was half water._
   - _Much of the trust's stock was pure water, printed with no new assets behind it._

## Verb

22. To overvalue securities, especially by means of deceptive bookkeeping or accounting. *(dated)*
   - Simple: To make a company's shares seem worth more than they really are.
   - _Promoters would water a railroad's stock and then unload it on the public._
   - _Regulators accused the firm of watering its shares ahead of the merger._

## Other meanings

- (noun) In gemstones, especially diamonds, the degree of clarity and luster a stone shows.
- (noun) A wavy, lustrous pattern or decoration given to materials such as linen, silk, or metal.
- (verb) To wet and press cloth between rollers so as to give it a lustrous appearance in wavy lines.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–4, 7–9, 12–15, 17, 19–21** — The noun comes from Middle English "water", from Old English "wæter", from Proto-Germanic "*watōr", from the Proto-Indo-European noun "*wódr̥" meaning "water". It is related to German "Wasser", Dutch "water", and many other words across Europe.
**Meanings 5–6, 10–11, 16, 18, 22** — Old English wæterian developed into Middle English wateren and then the modern verb water. Its ancestor, Proto-Germanic *watrōną, ultimately traces back to *wódr̥, the Proto-Indo-European word meaning "water" that also underlies the noun. Related verbs include Dutch wateren and German wässern.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/water (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).