water Dutch · revision 37431

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=709, Old Dutch (in the compound watrischafo)|origins=ine-pro *wódr̥}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈʋaː.tər/^(Wiktionary)

+ * Belgium: [β̞aːtər]^(Wiktionary)

+ * Netherlands: [ʋaːtər]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''water''' ''n'' (plural waters or wateren, diminutive watertje n)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|dum|water]], [[inh|odt|watar]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*watar]], [[inh|gem-pro|*watōr|t=water]].^(EWN)^(Wiktionary)^(ONW) The same word is [[osx|watar]], [[goh|wazzar]] (modern [[de|Wasser]]), [[ofs|weter]] and [[ang|wæter]] (modern [[en|water]]); [[non|vatn]] and [[got|𐍅𐌰𐍄𐍉|tr=watō]] (genitive ⟨watins⟩) show the stem with ⟨n⟩.^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971)^(Kroonen 2013) The Germanic noun continues an old ⟨r⟩/⟨n⟩ stem, [[ine-pro|*wódr̥]], genitive ⟨*wédn̥s⟩, and the adjective [[gem-pro|*wētaz|alt=*wēta-|t=wet]] (English [[m|en|wet]]) was formed from the same root.^(EWN)^(Kroonen 2013)^(Wiktionary) Kroonen notes that the Germanic forms point to a paradigm with ⟨*wod-⟩ throughout.^(Kroonen 2013)

+

+ It is one of the few nouns found in every major branch of Indo-European.^(EWN) Its relatives include [[xum|utur]], [[la|unda|t=wave]], [[grc|ὕδωρ|tr=húdōr]], [[sa|उदन्|tr=udán]], [[lt|vanduo|alt=vanduõ]], [[cu|вода|tr=voda]], [[sga|uisce]], [[xcl|գետ|tr=get|t=river]], [[sq|ujë]] and [[hit|wātar]].^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971)^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912) Dutch [[otter]] belongs to the same root.^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971) A strikingly similar stem in Finno-Ugric, as in [[fi|vesi]], has been noted;^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971) De Vries asks whether it points to an old link between the families.^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The word first appears inside a compound, ''watrischafo'' “spring, watering place for cattle”, in a charter of 709; as a simple noun it occurs in a charm of the late 9th century, “a fish swam over the water”.^(EWN)^(ONW) The Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century use it both for the liquid and for bodies of water: ''fan diopithon uuatiro'' “from the depths of the waters”.^(ONW)^(EWN)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Old Dutch already had both the substance and the sense “sea, lake, river”, and the noun formed the first part of place names such as Watermaal (1162).^(ONW) In Middle Dutch it also meant drinking water, washing water, groundwater, a stream, the surface of the water, tears and bodily fluid; in the old theory of the four elements water stood beside fire, air and earth.^(VMNW)^(MNW) By 1520 ''zijn water maken'' meant to urinate, and doctors looked at a patient's ''water'' to make a diagnosis.^(WNT)

+

+ From the 16th century ''water'' was also the clarity and lustre of a precious stone: a text of 1596 says that a perfect diamond must be ''van goede wateren''.^(WNT) From that comes ''van het zuiverste water'', “of the purest kind”, later used of rogues and frauds as well.^(WNT)^(Van Dale 2014)^(Van Veen & Van der Sijs 1997) Proverbs are many: ''geld als water'' “money like water”, quoted in 1798, and ''een storm in een glas water'', after Cicero's ''fluctus in simpulo''.^(WNT)^(Stoett 1923) In finance, ''water'' names a bond without collateral or a share on which nothing has been paid.^(Van Dale 2014)

+

+ The word passed into Negerhollands, Skepi Dutch and Javindo, into Sranan Tongo (''watra'', from Dutch or English) and on into Saramaccan, and Afrikaans has [[m|af|water]].^(Van der Sijs 2010)^(Wiktionary) Danish borrowed ''vater'' “level, horizontal” from Dutch or Low German.^(Van der Sijs 2010)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 709 – The compound ''watrischafo'' “watering place” in a charter.^(EWN)^(ONW)

+ * 891–900 – ''Uuatare'' in a charm: “a fish swam over the water”.^(EWN)^(ONW)

+ * 901–1000 – The Wachtendonck Psalms have ''uuatar'' and ''uuatiro''.^(ONW)^(Van der Sijs 2001)

+ * 1162 – The place name Watermale (Watermaal).^(ONW)

+ * 1236 – Middle Dutch ''water'' in a Ghent text.^(EWN)^(VMNW)

+ * 1240 – The Bernardus glossary gives ''water'' for Latin ''aqua''.^(VMNW)

+ * 1520 – ''Zijn water maken'' “to urinate”.^(WNT)

+ * 1596 – A diamond should be ''van goede wateren''.^(WNT)

+ * 1798 – ''Geld als water'' “money in floods”.^(WNT)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # [[m|en|water]], the colourless liquid made of hydrogen and oxygen: ''Doe nog wat water in de soep.''^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)^(WikiWoordenboek)

+ # A body of water, such as a sea, river, lake or canal: ''Het huis staat vlak aan het water.''^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Bodily fluid, especially [[m|en|urine]] or the fluid in a joint.^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)^(WNT)

+ # The clarity of a [[m|en|diamond]].^(Van Dale 2014)^(WikiWoordenboek)

+ # ''(finance)'' A bond without collateral, or a share on which nothing has been paid.^(Van Dale 2014)^(WikiWoordenboek)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[spraakwater]]

+ * [[waterstof]]

+ * [[waterzooi]]

+ * [[waterglas]]

+ * [[waterkers]]

+ * [[afvalwater]]

+ * [[bronwater]]

+ * [[drinkwater]]

+ * [[waterig]]

+ * [[wateren]]

+ * [[watering]]

+ * [[regenwater]]

+ * [[zeewater]]

+ * [[grondwater]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[otter]]

+ * [[nat]]

+ * [[en|water]]

+ * [[de|Wasser]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ As a mass noun ''water'' has no plural; the plurals ''wateren'' and ''waters'' are used for kinds or bodies of water.^(WNT) De Vreese counted Belgian ''tussen twee waters zwemmen'' (to keep in with both sides) and ''dienst der waters'' as gallicisms, after French ''nager entre deux eaux'' and ''service des eaux''.^(De Vreese 1899) ''Geld als water verdienen'' is to earn a great deal of money.^(Stoett 1923)^(WNT)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}