water

Meanings

Noun

• 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.
• The aforementioned liquid, considered one of the Classical elements or basic elements of alchemy.
• Water in a body; an area of open water.
• A body of water, almost always a river.
• A combination of water and other substance(s).
• A state of affairs; conditions; usually with an adjective indicating an adverse condition.
• A person's intuition.
• Excess valuation of securities.
• The limpidity and lustre of a precious stone, especially a diamond.
• A wavy, lustrous pattern or decoration such as is imparted to linen, silk, metals, etc.

Verb

• To pour water into the soil surrounding (plants).
• To wet or supply with water; to moisten; to overflow with water; to irrigate.
• To provide (animals) with water for drinking.
• To get or take in water.
• To urinate onto.
• To dilute.
• To overvalue (securities), especially through deceptive accounting.
• To fill with or secrete water.
• To wet and calender, as cloth, so as to impart to it a lustrous appearance in wavy lines; to diversify with wavelike lines.

Related

Similar words

• water down

Opposite words

• ice, steam, water vapor/water vapour
• earth, air/wind, fire; wood, metal; void/ether
• refine

Narrower meaning words

• ammonia-water, heavy water; ice, steam, water vapor/water vapour
• drinkwater, freshwater, meltwater, mineral water; hard water, soft water

Broader meaning words

• chemical, substance
• liquid, fluid
• element
• body fluid, bodily fluid, biofluid

Origin

• 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").
• 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"), Latin unda ("wave"), Lithuanian vanduõ ("water"), Russian вода́ ("water"), Albanian ujë ("water"), Ancient Greek ὕδωρ ("water"), Armenian գետ ("river"), Sanskrit उदन् ("wave, water"), Hittite 𒉿𒀀𒋻.
• From Middle English wateren, from Old English wæterian, from Proto-Germanic *watrōną, *watrijaną, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥.
• Cognate with Scots watter ("water"), Saterland Frisian woaterje, West Frisian wetterje, Dutch wateren, German Low German watern, German wässern, Danish vande, Swedish vattna, Icelandic vatna.