water definition | Dictionary.com

wa⋅ter

[waw-ter, wot-er]

–noun

1.	a transparent, odorless, tasteless liquid, a compound of hydrogen and oxygen, H₂O, freezing at 32°F or 0°C and boiling at 212°F or 100°C, that in a more or less impure state constitutes rain, oceans, lakes, rivers, etc.: it contains 11.188 percent hydrogen and 88.812 percent oxygen, by weight.

2.	a special form or variety of this liquid, as rain.

3.	Often, waters. this liquid in an impure state as obtained from a mineral spring: Last year we went to Marienbad for the waters.

4.	the liquid content of a river, inlet, etc., with reference to its relative height, esp. as dependent on tide: a difference of 20 feet between high and low water.

5.	the surface of a stream, river, lake, ocean, etc.: above, below, or on the water.

waters,

a.	flowing water, or water moving in waves: The river's mighty waters.

b.	the sea or seas bordering a particular country or continent or located in a particular part of the world: We left San Diego and sailed south for Mexican waters.

7.	a liquid solution or preparation, esp. one used for cosmetic purposes: lavender water; lemon water.

Often, waters. Medicine/Medical.

a.	amniotic fluid.

b.	the bag of waters; amnion: Her water broke at 2 a.m.

9.	any of various solutions of volatile or gaseous substances in water: ammonia water.

10.	any liquid or aqueous organic secretion, exudation, humor, or the like, as tears, perspiration, or urine.

11.	Finance. fictitious assets or the inflated values they give to the stock of a corporation.

12.	a wavy, lustrous pattern or marking, as on silk fabrics or metal surfaces.

13.	(formerly) the degree of transparency and brilliancy of a diamond or other precious stone.

14.	take water, (of a boat) to allow water to enter through leaks or portholes or over the side.

–verb (used with object)

15.	to sprinkle, moisten, or drench with water: to water the flowers; to water a street.

16.	to supply (animals) with water for drinking.

17.	to furnish with a supply of water, as a ship.

18.	to furnish water to (a region), as by streams; supply (land) with water, as by irrigation: The valley is watered by a branch of the Colorado River. Our land is watered by the All-American Canal.

19.	to dilute, weaken, soften, or adulterate with, or as with, water (often fol. by down): to water soup; to water down an unfavorable report.

20.	Finance. to issue or increase the par value of (shares of stock) without having the assets to warrant doing so (often fol. by down).

21.	to produce a wavy, lustrous pattern, marking, or finish on (fabrics, metals, etc.): watered silk.

–verb (used without object)

22.	to discharge, fill with, or secrete water or liquid, as the eyes when irritated, or as the mouth at the sight or thought of tempting food.

23.	to drink water, as an animal.

24.	to take in a supply of water, as a ship: Our ship will water at Savannah.

–adjective

25.	of or pertaining to water in any way: a water journey.

26.	holding, or designed to hold, water: a water jug.

27.	worked or powered by water: a water turbine.

28.	heating, pumping, or circulating water (often used in combination): hot-water furnace; city waterworks.

29.	used in or on water: water skis.

30.	containing or prepared with water, as for hardening or dilution: water mortar.

31.	located or occurring on, in, or by water: water music; water frontage.

32.	residing by or in, or ruling over, water: water people; water deities.

—Idioms

33.	above water, out of embarrassment or trouble, esp. of a financial nature: They had so many medical bills that they could hardly keep their heads above water.

34.

break water,

a.	to break the surface of the water by emerging from it.

b.	Swimming. to break the surface of the water with the feet, esp. in swimming the breaststroke doing the frog kick.

c.	Medicine/Medical. to break the amniotic sac prior to parturition.

35.	by water, by ship or boat: to send goods by water.

36.	dead in the water. dead (def. 41).

37.

hold water,

a.	to be logical, defensible, or valid: That accusation won't hold water.

b.	to check the movement of a rowboat by keeping the oars steady with the blades vertical.

38.	in deep water, in great distress or difficulty: Their marriage has been in deep water for some time.

39.	in hot water. hot water.

40.	like water, lavishly; abundantly; freely: The champagne flowed like water.

41.	make one's mouth water, to excite a desire or appetite for something: The roasting turkey made our mouths water.

42.

make water,

a.	(of a boat) to allow water to enter; leak.

b.	to urinate.

43.	tread water. tread (def. 23).

Origin:
bef. 900; (n.) ME; OE wæter; c. D water, G Wasser; akin to ON vain, Goth wato, Hittite watar, Gk hýdōr; (v.) ME wateren, OE wæterian, deriv. of the n.

Related forms:

wa⋅ter⋅er, noun

wa⋅ter⋅less, adjective

wa⋅ter⋅less⋅ly, adverb

wa⋅ter⋅less⋅ness, noun

wa⋅ter⋅like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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wa·ter (wô'tər, wŏt'ər)

A clear, colorless, odorless, and tasteless liquid, H₂O, essential for most plant and animal life and the most widely used of all solvents. Freezing point 0°C (32°F); boiling point 100°C (212°F); specific gravity (4°C) 1.0000; weight per gallon (15°C) 8.338 pounds (3.782 kilograms).
1. Any of various forms of water: waste water.
2. Naturally occurring mineral water, as at a spa. Often used in the plural.
3. A body of water such as a sea, lake, river, or stream.
4. waters A particular stretch of sea or ocean, especially that of a state or country: escorted out of British waters.
5. A supply of water: had to turn off the water while repairing the broken drain.
6. A water supply system.
7. Any of the fluids normally secreted from the body, such as urine, perspiration, tears, or saliva.
8. A fluid present in a body part in abnormal quantities as a result of injury or disease: water on the knee.
9. The fluid surrounding a fetus in the uterus; amniotic fluid.
10. The valuation of the assets of a business firm beyond their real value.
11. Stock issued in excess of paid-in capital.
12. The transparency and luster of a gem.
13. A level of excellence.
1. A body of water such as a sea, lake, river, or stream.
2. waters A particular stretch of sea or ocean, especially that of a state or country: escorted out of British waters.
3. A supply of water: had to turn off the water while repairing the broken drain.
4. A water supply system.
5. Any of the fluids normally secreted from the body, such as urine, perspiration, tears, or saliva.
6. A fluid present in a body part in abnormal quantities as a result of injury or disease: water on the knee.
7. The fluid surrounding a fetus in the uterus; amniotic fluid.
8. The valuation of the assets of a business firm beyond their real value.
9. Stock issued in excess of paid-in capital.
10. The transparency and luster of a gem.
11. A level of excellence.
1. A supply of water: had to turn off the water while repairing the broken drain.
2. A water supply system.
3. Any of the fluids normally secreted from the body, such as urine, perspiration, tears, or saliva.
4. A fluid present in a body part in abnormal quantities as a result of injury or disease: water on the knee.
5. The fluid surrounding a fetus in the uterus; amniotic fluid.
6. The valuation of the assets of a business firm beyond their real value.
7. Stock issued in excess of paid-in capital.
8. The transparency and luster of a gem.
9. A level of excellence.
1. Any of the fluids normally secreted from the body, such as urine, perspiration, tears, or saliva.
2. A fluid present in a body part in abnormal quantities as a result of injury or disease: water on the knee.
3. The fluid surrounding a fetus in the uterus; amniotic fluid.
4. The valuation of the assets of a business firm beyond their real value.
5. Stock issued in excess of paid-in capital.
6. The transparency and luster of a gem.
7. A level of excellence.
An aqueous solution of a substance, especially a gas: ammonia water.
A wavy finish or sheen, as of a fabric or metal.
1. The valuation of the assets of a business firm beyond their real value.
2. Stock issued in excess of paid-in capital.
3. The transparency and luster of a gem.
4. A level of excellence.
1. The transparency and luster of a gem.
2. A level of excellence.

v. wa·tered, wa·ter·ing, wa·ters

v. tr.

To pour or sprinkle water on; make wet: watered the garden.
1. To give drinking water to.
2. To lead (an animal) to drinking water.
To dilute or weaken by adding water: a bar serving whiskey that had been watered.
To give a sheen to the surface of (silk, linen, or metal).
To increase (the number of shares of stock) without increasing the value of the assets represented.
To irrigate (land).

v. intr.

To produce or discharge fluid, as from the eyes.
To salivate in anticipation of food: The wonderful aroma from the kitchen makes my mouth water.
To take on a supply of water, as a ship.
To drink water, as an animal.

Phrasal Verb(s):
water downTo reduce the strength or effectiveness of: "It seemed clear by late autumn that the ban would be significantly watered down or removed altogether before the trade bill became law" (George R. Packard).

Idiom(s):
above waterOut of difficulty or trouble.

Idiom(s):
water under the bridgeA past occurrence, especially something unfortunate, that cannot be undone or rectified: All that is now just water under the bridge.

[Middle English, from Old English wæter; see wed-¹ in Indo-European roots.]
wa'ter·er n.

Word History: Water is wet, even etymologically. The Indo-European root of water is *wed-, "wet." This root could appear in several guises—with the vowel e, as here, or as *wod-, or with no vowel between the w and d, yielding *ud-. All three forms of the root appear in English either in native or in borrowed words. From a form with a long e, *wēd-, which by Grimm's Law became *wēt- in Germanic, we have Old English wǣt, "wet," which became modern English wet. The form *wod-, in a suffixed form *wod-ōr, became *watar in Germanic and eventually water in modern English. From the form *ud- the Greeks got their word for water, hud-ōr, the source of our prefix hydro- and related words like hydrant. The suffixes *-rā and *-ros added to the form *ud- yielded the Greek word hudrā, "water snake" (borrowed into English as hydra), and the Germanic word *otraz, the source of our word otter, the water animal.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Water

Wa"ter\ (w[add]"t[~e]r), n. [AS. w[ae]ter; akin to OS. watar, OFries. wetir, weter, LG. & D. water, G. wasser, OHG. wazzar, Icel. vatn, Sw. vatten, Dan. vand, Goth. wat[=o], O. Slav. & Russ. voda, Gr. 'y`dwr, Skr. udan water, ud to wet, and perhaps to L. unda wave. [root]137. Cf. Dropsy, Hydra, Otter, Wet, Whisky.]

1. The fluid which descends from the clouds in rain, and which forms rivers, lakes, seas, etc. "We will drink water." --Shak. "Powers of fire, air, water, and earth." --Milton.

Note: Pure water consists of hydrogen and oxygen, H2O, and is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, transparent liquid, which is very slightly compressible. At its maximum density, 39[deg] Fahr. or 4[deg] C., it is the standard for specific gravities, one cubic centimeter weighing one gram. It freezes at 32[deg] Fahr. or 0[deg] C. and boils at 212[deg] Fahr. or 100[deg] C. (see Ice, Steam). It is the most important natural solvent, and is frequently impregnated with foreign matter which is mostly removed by distillation; hence, rain water is nearly pure. It is an important ingredient in the tissue of animals and plants, the human body containing about two thirds its weight of water.

2. A body of water, standing or flowing; a lake, river, or other collection of water.

Remembering he had passed over a small water a poor scholar when first coming to the university, he kneeled. --Fuller.

3. Any liquid secretion, humor, or the like, resembling water; esp., the urine.

4. (Pharm.) A solution in water of a gaseous or readily volatile substance; as, ammonia water. --U. S. Pharm.

5. The limpidity and luster of a precious stone, especially a diamond; as, a diamond of the first water, that is, perfectly pure and transparent. Hence, of the first water, that is, of the first excellence.

6. A wavy, lustrous pattern or decoration such as is imparted to linen, silk, metals, etc. See Water, v. t., 3, Damask, v. t., and Damaskeen.

7. An addition to the shares representing the capital of a stock company so that the aggregate par value of the shares is increased while their value for investment is diminished, or "diluted." [Brokers' Cant]

Note: Water is often used adjectively and in the formation of many self-explaining compounds; as, water drainage; water gauge, or water-gauge; waterfowl, water-fowl, or water fowl; water-beaten; water-borne, water-circled, water-girdled, water-rocked, etc.

Hard water. See under Hard.

Inch of water, a unit of measure of quantity of water, being the quantity which will flow through an orifice one inch square, or a circular orifice one inch in diameter, in a vertical surface, under a stated constant head; also called miner's inch, and water inch. The shape of the orifice and the head vary in different localities. In the Western United States, for hydraulic mining, the standard aperture is square and the head from 4 to 9 inches above its center. In Europe, for experimental hydraulics, the orifice is usually round and the head from 1/2 of an inch to 1 inch above its top.

Mineral water, waters which are so impregnated with foreign ingredients, such as gaseous, sulphureous, and saline substances, as to give them medicinal properties, or a particular flavor or temperature.

Soft water, water not impregnated with lime or mineral salts.

To hold water. See under Hold, v. t.

To keep one's head above water, to keep afloat; fig., to avoid failure or sinking in the struggles of life. [Colloq.]

To make water. (a) To pass urine. --Swift. (b) (Naut.) To admit water; to leak.

Water of crystallization (Chem.), the water combined with many salts in their crystalline form. This water is loosely, but, nevertheless, chemically, combined, for it is held in fixed and definite amount for each substance containing it. Thus, while pure copper sulphate, CuSO4, is a white amorphous substance, blue vitriol, the crystallized form, CuSO4.5H2O, contains five molecules of water of crystallization.

Water on the brain (Med.), hydrocephalus.

Water on the chest (Med.), hydrothorax.

Note: Other phrases, in which water occurs as the first element, will be found in alphabetical order in the Vocabulary.

Water

Wa"ter\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Watered; p. pr. & vb. n. Watering.] [AS. w[ae]terian, gew[ae]terian.]

1. To wet or supply with water; to moisten; to overflow with water; to irrigate; as, to water land; to water flowers.

With tears watering the ground. --Milton.

Men whose lives gilded on like rivers that water the woodlands. --Longfellow.

2. To supply with water for drink; to cause or allow to drink; as, to water cattle and horses.

3. To wet and calender, as cloth, so as to impart to it a lustrous appearance in wavy lines; to diversify with wavelike lines; as, to water silk. Cf. Water, n., 6.

4. To add water to (anything), thereby extending the quantity or bulk while reducing the strength or quality; to extend; to dilute; to weaken.

To water stock, to increase the capital stock of a company by issuing new stock, thus diminishing the value of the individual shares. Cf. Water, n., 7. [Brokers' Cant]

Water

Wa"ter\, v. i. 1. To shed, secrete, or fill with, water or liquid matter; as, his eyes began to water.

If thine eyes can water for his death. --Shak.

2. To get or take in water; as, the ship put into port to water.

The mouth waters, a phrase denoting that a person or animal has a longing desire for something, since the sight of food often causes one who is hungry to have an increased flow of saliva.

Language Translation for : water

Spanish: agua,

German: das Wasser, Wasser-…,

Japanese: 水

More Translations »

water (n.1)

O.E. wæter, from P.Gmc. *watar (cf. O.S. watar, O.Fris. wetir, Du. water, O.H.G. wazzar, Ger. Wasser, O.N. vatn, Goth. wato "water"), from PIE *wodor/*wedor/*uder-, from root *wed- (cf. Hittite watar, Skt. udnah, Gk. hydor, O.C.S., Rus. voda, Lith. vanduo, O.Prus. wundan, Gael. uisge "water;" L. unda "wave"). Linguists believe PIE had two root words for water: *ap- and *wed-. The first (preserved in Skt. apah) was "animate," referring to water as a living force; the latter referred to it as an inanimate substance. The same was probably true of fire (n.). To keep (one's) head above water in the fig. sense is recorded from 1742. Water cooler is recorded from 1846; water polo from 1884; water torture from 1928. First record of water-closet is from 1755. Water-ice as a confection is from 1818. Watering-place is 1440, of animals, 1757, of persons. Water-lily first attested 1549. Waterfront is attested from 1856.

water (v.)

O.E. wæterian (see water (n.1)). Meaning "to dilute" is attested from 1387; now usually as water down (1850). To make water "urinate" is recorded from 1432.

water (n.2)

measure of quality of a diamond, 1607, from water (n.1), perhaps as a transl. of Arabic ma' "water," which also is used in the sense "lustre, splendor."

Main Entry: ¹wa·ter
Pronunciation: 'wot-&r, 'wät-
Function: noun
1 : the liquid that descends from the clouds as rain,forms streams, lakes, and seas, and is a major constituent of all living matter and that is an odorless, tasteless, very slightly compressible liquid oxide of hydrogen H₂O which appearsbluish in thick layers, freezes at 0°C (32°F) and boils at 100°C (212°F), has a maximum density at 4°C (39°F) and a high specific heat, is feebly ionized to hydrogen andhydroxyl ions, and is a poor conductor of electricity and a good solvent
2 : liquid containing or resembling water: as a (1) : a pharmaceutical or cosmeticpreparation made with water (2) : a watery solution of a gaseous or readily volatile substance —see AMMONIAWATER b : a watery fluid (as tears or urine) formed or circulating in a living body c :

AMNIOTIC FLUID

—often used in plural; also : BAG OF WATERS

Main Entry: ²water
Function: intransitive verb
: to form or secrete water or watery matter (as tears or saliva)

water wa·ter (wô'tər)
n.

A clear, colorless, odorless, and tasteless liquid essential for most plant and animal life and the most widely used of all solvents. Freezing point 0°C (32°F); boiling point 100°C (212°F); specific gravity (4°C) 1.0000; weight per gallon (15°C) 8.338 pounds (3.782 kilograms).
Any of the liquids that are present in or passed out of the body, such as urine, perspiration, tears, or saliva.
The fluid that surrounds a fetus in the uterus; amniotic fluid.
An aqueous solution of a substance, especially a gas.

water (wô'tər) Pronunciation Key
A colorless, odorless compound of hydrogen and oxygen. Water covers about three-quarters of the Earth's surface in solid form (ice) and liquid form, and is prevalent in the lower atmosphere in its gaseous form, water vapor. Water is an unusually good solvent for a large variety of substances, and is an essential component of all organisms, being necessary for most biological processes. Unlike most substances, water is less dense as ice than in liquid form; thus, ice floats on liquid water. Water freezes at 0°C (32°F) and boils at 100°C (212°F). Chemical formula: H₂O.

water

In addition to the idioms beginning with water, also see above water; backwater; blood is thicker than water; blow out (of the water); come on in (the water's fine); dead in the water; fish in troubled waters; fish out of water; head above water; hell or high water; high-water mark; hold water; hot water; in deep (water); keep one's head (above water); like water off a duck's back; make one's mouth water; muddy the waters; of the first water; pour cold water on; pour oil on troubled waters; still waters run deep; take to (like a duck to water); throw out the baby with the bath water; tread water; you can lead a horse to water.

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