Wasser
Alemannic German
Etymology
From Middle High German waʒʒer, from Old High German waʒʒar, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥. Cognate with German Wasser, Dutch and English water, Icelandic vatn.
Derived terms
References
- Wörterbuch der elsässischen Mundarten
- Rudolf Suter, Baseldeutsch-Grammatik (1976): s Wasser
Central Franconian
Alternative forms
- Waßer (native in most dialects; now archaic in many)
Etymology
From Old High German wazzar. The use of -a- instead of the expected -ā- is influenced by standard German.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈʋasʌ/
Noun
Wasser n (plural Wasser, diminutive Wässerche)
- (many dialects) water
- Dat Wasser vun Kölle es jot.
- The water of Cologne is good. (Line from a Bläck Fööss song.)
German
Etymology
From Middle High German wazzer, from Old High German wazzar, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥. Compare Low German Water, Dutch and English water, Danish vand.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈva.sɐ/
(file) - (Bavaria)
(file)
Noun
Wasser n (genitive Wassers, plural Wasser or Wässer, diminutive Wässerchen n or Wässerlein n)
Usage notes
- Both plural forms are infrequent. Unchanged Wasser is used as a purely emphatic plural: die Wasser des Rheins – the waters of the Rhine. Wässer is used as an actual plural meaning different kinds of water (or brandy): teure und preiswerte Wässer – expensive and inexpensive [table] waters. However, Wässer is also used emphatically in some compound words such as Abwässer (“waste water”) and Schmutzwässer (“dirty water”).
Declension
Plural Wasser
Plural Wässer
Derived terms
- Abwasser (“wastewater; sewage”)
- Altwasser (“oxbow lake”)
- auch nur mit Wasser kochen
- Blut ist dicker als Wasser (“blood is thicker than water”)
- das Wasser reichen können (“to hold a candle”, literally “to hand the water”)
- Gewässer (“body of water, waterbody, water”)
- Hochwasser (“flood, flooding”)
- Kirschwasser (“kirsch, a clear brandy made from black cherries”)
- Meerwasser (“seawater”)
- Mineralwasser (“mineral water, carbonated water”)
- Salzwasser (“salt water”)
- Sprudelwasser (“fizzy water”)
- Süßwasser (“freshwater”)
- Trinkwasser (“drinking water”)
- Wasserbombe (“depth charge; water bomb, water balloon”, literally “water bomb”)
- Wasserdampf (“steam; water vapour”)
- Wassereis (“ice pop, popsicle, ice lolly; frozen water”, literally “water ice”)
- Wasserfall (“waterfall”)
- Wasserfarbe (“watercolour”)
- Wasserhund (“water dog”)
- wässerig, wässrig (“watery”)
- Wassermann (“Aquarius, Aquarian”)
- Wassermühle (“water mill”)
- wässern (“to water”)
- Wasserpfeife (“water pipe”)
- Wasser predigen und Wein trinken (“to not practice what one preaches”, literally “to preach water and drink wine”)
- Wasserralle (“water rail”)
- Wassersäule f (“water column”)
- Wasserscheide (“watershed”)
- Wasserski (“water skiing; water ski”)
- Wasserskorpion (“water scorpion”)
- Wasserspeier (“gargoyle, waterspout”)
- Wasserspinne (“water spider, diving bell spider”)
- Wasserstoff (“hydrogen”)
- Wasserwanze (“water bug”)
- Wildwasser (“white water”)
- Wurstwasser (“water in which sausages have been cooked and/or packaged”)
- Wasserbecken
- Wasserfloh
- Wassergewebe
- Wasserkopf
- Wasserlauf
- Wasserstraße
- Wassertiefe
- Weihwasser
Hunsrik
Alternative forms
- waser (Wiesemann spelling system)
Etymology
From Middle High German wazzer, from Old High German wazzar, from West Germanic, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, from Proto-Indo-European *wédōr.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈvasɐ/
Pennsylvania German
Etymology
From Middle High German wazzer, from Old High German wazzar, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥. Compare German Wasser, Dutch water, English water.
Rhine Franconian
Etymology
From Middle High German wazzer, from Old High German wazzar, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥.
References
- Verse und Reime eines alten Pfälzers, in pfälzischer Mundart (1864): guts Wasser
Unserdeutsch
Etymology
From German Wasser, from Middle High German wazzer, from Old High German wazzar, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥.
References
- 1991, Language and Linguistics in Melanesia: Inclusive/exclusive 'we': (a) Uns bis neben Salz-wasser. / we IN are next to salt water / 'We're next to the ocean.'