water

water

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Pronunciation

IPA Phonetic Spelling:

• /ˈwɔːtər/ (General American) or /ˈwɒtə/ (Received Pronunciation)

• w - /w/ (as in "we")

• a - /ɔː/ (as in "bought" or "thought" - General American) or /ɒ/ (as in "lot" or "pot" - Received Pronunciation)

• t - /t/ (as in "top") or /ɾ/ (a "flapped t" sound, common in American English where 't' is between vowels, like in "butter")

• er - /ər/ (as in "runner," a schwa + 'r' sound - General American) or /ə/ (schwa, unstressed - Received Pronunciation, often omitted entirely at the end of words)

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Word Form Variations

Noun:

• Singular: water (often used as an uncountable noun)

• Plural: waters (used when referring to specific bodies of water, or different types/areas of water)

Verb:

• Base form: water

• Third person singular present: waters

• Present participle: watering

• Past tense: watered

• Past participle: watered

Adjective:

• water (often used attributively, e.g., "water bottle," "water-resistant")

• watery (related adjective meaning 'like water' or 'full of water')

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Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms

Noun

1. A colorless, transparent, odorless, and tasteless liquid that forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain, and is the basis of the fluids of living organisms.

• Synonyms: H₂O, liquid, fluid, aqua

• Antonyms: (None directly applicable as it's a fundamental element/substance)

2. A specific body of water, such as a sea, lake, or river, or the liquid collected for a particular purpose.

• Synonyms: ocean, sea, lake, river, stream, pool, reservoir

• Antonyms: land, desert (in context of lacking water)

3. The state of a financial or business enterprise being in difficulty, especially having insufficient assets to cover its liabilities. (Often in the idiom "in deep water" or "to be treading water")

• Synonyms: trouble, difficulty, predicament, distress, insolvency

• Antonyms: prosperity, solvency, stability, success

Verb

1. To pour or sprinkle water on (a plant, animal, or ground) to promote growth or cleanliness.

• Synonyms: irrigate, douse, moisten, dampen, drench, spray

• Antonyms: dehydrate, dry, drain

2. To produce or secrete a watery fluid from the eyes or mouth.

• Synonyms: tear up, dribble, drool, salivate

• Antonyms: dry up, cease flow

3. To dilute (a drink or other liquid) with water, often to reduce its strength or quality.

• Synonyms: dilute, thin, weaken, adulterate

• Antonyms: concentrate, strengthen

Adjective (Attributive Use)

1. Made of, containing, or used for water.

• Synonyms: aquatic, hydraulic, aqueous, liquid-based

• Antonyms: land-based, air-based, dry (depending on context)

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Examples of Use

• Books:

• "He dreamed of rain and water and the sound of it running and he dreamed of the sea as he always did." (Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea, 1952)

• Newspapers:

• "Severe drought conditions are forcing farmers to ration water for their crops, sparking fears of food shortages." (The Guardian)

• Online Publications:

• "The tech company's latest software update aims to water down some of the more complex features, making it more user-friendly for a wider audience." (TechCrunch)

• Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:

• "I need a glass of water after all that dancing!" (Dialogue from a romantic comedy film, Anyone But You)

• "This plant needs to be watered every two days, especially in this heat." (Gardening advice video on YouTube)

• "And the winner is... (cheers) ... let's raise a glass of water to their success!" (Host of a talent show, America's Got Talent)

• General Public Discourse:

• "Could you please fill this jug with water?"

• "My eyes started to water when I chopped the onions."

• "He found himself in deep water after his risky investment failed."

• "Don't water down your ideas; present them boldly."

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10 Quotes Using Water

1. "Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it." (Bruce Lee)

2. "Still waters run deep." (Proverb, widely attributed)

3. "You never miss the water 'til the well runs dry." (William Bell and Booker T. Jones, "You Don't Miss Your Water," 1961)

4. "Filthy lucre is a thing not to be desired. It is a good servant but a bad master. It is like water - it can be used to float a ship or to drown a person." (Attributed to Confucius)

5. "A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds. For when the weeds begin to grow, then doth the garden's master know that water is a goodly thing." (Mother Goose rhyme, "A Man of Words," 1784)

6. "Truth is like water: it finds its own level." (African Proverb)

7. "You don't drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there." (Edwin Louis Cole)

8. "Pure water is the world's first and foremost medicine." (Slovakian Proverb)

9. "Money is like water, if you keep it, it becomes stagnant. If you spend it, it flows." (Chinese Proverb)

10. "The water is wide, I cannot get over, neither have I wings to fly." (Traditional Folk Song, "The Water is Wide," origin uncertain but widely known)

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Etymology

The word "water" is one of the oldest and most fundamental words in the English language, reflecting how essential this substance has always been to human life.

It comes from the Old English word "wæter." Even in Old English, this word already meant the clear, odorless liquid that forms oceans, rivers, and rain. So, its core meaning has been incredibly stable for well over a thousand years.

Tracing back even further, "wæter" comes from the *Proto-Germanic word "watar." This ancient Germanic root also meant "water."

Before that, it's believed to stem from the **Proto-Indo-European root "wodōr" or "wedor," which directly referred to "water." This makes "water" a cognate (a word with a common origin) with similar terms in many other Indo-European languages, like "hydro" (from Greek), "aqua" (from Latin), and "udr" (from Sanskrit).

So, the first known use of "water" in English (in its Old English form "wæter") appeared in texts as early as the 8th century or possibly even earlier. Its original meaning was exactly what we understand today: the liquid compound essential for life, found in seas, rivers, and precipitation. The word has remained remarkably unchanged in its fundamental meaning throughout its long history.

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Phrases + Idioms Containing Water

Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "water":

• Under water (in debt; submerged)

• Keep your head above water (to manage to survive, especially financially)

• Come hell or high water (no matter what difficulties arise)

• To test the waters (to try something new cautiously)

• Water under the bridge (past events that are no longer important)

• Like a fish out of water (feeling uncomfortable in an unfamiliar situation)

• To make one's mouth water (to cause saliva to form in the mouth due to hunger or desire)

• You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink (you can offer opportunities, but not force someone to take them)

• Walk on water (to do something seemingly impossible)

• Throw cold water on (to discourage or dampen enthusiasm)

• Hold water (to be sound, logical, or defensible)

• In hot water (in trouble)

• Blood is thicker than water (family loyalties are stronger than others)

• Water down (to weaken or dilute, literally or figuratively)

• Pour oil on troubled waters (to calm a difficult situation)

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Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA

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Source Information

Definition of water from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.

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