eau
English
Etymology
From Middle English ea, eo (with spelling influenced by French eau), from Old English ēa (“running water, water, stream, river”), from Proto-Germanic *ahwō (“waters, river”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ekʷeh₂ (“water, flowing water”). Compare ea, yeo.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /juː/
Bariai
Etymology
From Proto-Ngero *i-om (compare Malalamai yu), although the precise form of this word, like Kove and Lusi veao, is unexplained.[1]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈeɑu/, [ˈe̯ɑu̯]
Derived terms
- eau-eai (“in the water”) /eɑu.eɑi/, [ˈe̯ɑu̯.i̯ɑi̯]
References
- Steve Gallagher, Peirce Baehr, Bariai Grammar Sketch (2005)
- Malcolm Ross, Proto Oceanic and the Austronesian Languages of Western Melanesia, Pacific Linguistics, series C-98 (1988), page 164: PNg *i-om > Malai yom, Gitua yum, Malalamai yu (the forms Kove veao and Bariai eau are unexplained).
French
Etymology
From Middle French eau, eaue, from Old French ewe, euwe, egua (“water”), from Latin aqua (“water”), from Proto-Italic *akʷā, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ekʷeh₂ (“water, flowing water”). Cognate with Old English ēa (“flowing water, stream, river”). More at ea.
See cognates in regional languages in France : Angevin ieau, Bourbonnais-Berrichon aigue or aïe, Bourguignon eâ, Champenois ève or 'aive, Franc-Comtois âve, Gallo iau, Lorrain aoue, Norman iâo, Orléanais iau, Picard ieu, Poitevin-Saintongeais ève, Tourangeau iau, Franco-Provençal égoua and éva, Occitan aiga, Catalan aiga, Corsican acqua.
Pronunciation
Noun
eau f (plural eaux)
- Water, a liquid that is transparent, colorless, odorless, and tasteless in its pure form, the primary constituent of lakes, rivers, seas, and oceans.
- 1951, First Congress on Irrigation and Drainage. Transactions. vol. 2, page 149.
- L'alteration de l′eau du lac par l'effect des courants du fond vers la surface semble s'expliquer par le fait, que le courant à densité avait une temperature plus élevée que les couches inférieures et moyennes du lac.
- (please add an English translation of this quote)
- Il buvait un verre d’eau fraîche.
- He drank a cool glass of water.
- L’eau de mer et l’eau de rivière n’ont pas la même teneur en sel et n’abritent donc pas les mêmes poissons.
- Sea water and river water do not have the same salt content and thus do not harbor the same fish.
- 1951, First Congress on Irrigation and Drainage. Transactions. vol. 2, page 149.
- In particular, rain.
- Si le vent dure, nous aurons de l’eau.
- If the wind persists, we will have rain.
- Si le vent dure, nous aurons de l’eau.
- (chemistry) The chemical compound with empirical formula H2O existing in the form of ice, liquid water or steam.
- L’eau se durcit par le froid et se vaporise par la chaleur.
- Water hardens with cold and vaporises with heat.
- L’eau se durcit par le froid et se vaporise par la chaleur.
- Natural liquid quantities or expanses.
- Le soir, ils se baignaient dans les eaux du lac Titicaca.
- In the evening, they bathed in the waters of Lake Titicaca.
- Le soir, ils se baignaient dans les eaux du lac Titicaca.
- Fluids such as sweat, formed and found in the body of man or animal.
- Les vésicatoires font des ampoules pleines d’eau.
- L’eau m'en vint à la bouche.
- That made my mouth water.
- Il s’est échauffé à courir, il est tout en eau.
- He warmed up to run. He's all sweaty.
Derived terms
Further reading
- “eau” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Middle French
Etymology
From Old French euwe, ewe, egua, from Latin aqua.
Romansch
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Vulgar Latin *eo, from Latin ego, from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂.