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Definition: Water |
WaterNoun1. Binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; "he asked for a drink of water". 2. The part of the earth's surface covered with water (such as a river or lake or ocean); "they invaded our territorial waters"; "they were sitting by the water's edge". 3. Facility that provides a source of water; "the town debated the purification of the water supply"; "first you have to cut off the water". 4. (archaic) once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles). 5. Liquid excretory product; "there was blood in his urine"; "the child had to make water". Verb1. Pour water on; "Water the lawn". 2. Provide with water: "We watered the buffalo". 3. Secrete or form water, as tears or saliva: "My mouth watered at the prospect of a good dinner"; "His eyes watered". 4. Fill with tears; "His eyes were watering". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "water" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Industry | Translucency of pearls provided by the conchiolin. Source: European Union. (references) |
19th Century Satire | A thin substance applied to stocks with which to soak buyers. Source: Foolish Dictionary, 1904. |
Aerospace | Dihydrogen oxide (molecular formula H20). The word is used ambiguously to refer to the chemical compound in general and to its liquid phase; when the former is meant, the term water substance is often used.Water is distinguished from other common terrestrial substances in existing in all three phases at atmospheric temperatures and pressures (see ice, water vapor). The phase changes, are of great significance in many geophysical processes. The same is true of the large specific heat of liquid water and ice relative to both land surface and atmosphere. Water's complex absorption spectrum gives rise to the greenhouse effect. (references) |
Dream Interpretation | To dream of clear water, foretells that you will joyfully realize prosperity and pleasure. If the water is muddy, you will be in danger and gloom will occupy Pleasure's seat. If you see it rise up in your house, denotes that you will struggle to resist evil, but unless you see it subside, you will succumb to dangerous influences. If you find yourself baling it out, but with feet growing wet, foreshadows trouble, sickness, and misery will work you a hard task, but you will forestall them by your watchfulness. The same may be applied to muddy water rising in vessels. To fall into muddy water, is a sign that you will make many bitter mistakes, and will suffer poignant grief therefrom. To drink muddy water, portends sickness, but drinking it clear and refreshing brings favorable consummation of fair hopes. To sport with water, denotes a sudden awakening to love and passion. To have it sprayed on your head, denotes that your passionate awakening to love will meet reciprocal consummation. The following dream and its allegorical occurrence in actual life is related by a young woman student of dreams; "Without knowing how, I was (in my dream) on a boat, I waded through clear blue water to a wharfboat, which I found to be snow white, but rough and splintry. The next evening I had a delightful male caller, but he remained beyond the time prescribed by mothers and I was severely censured for it." The blue water and fairy white boat were the disappointing prospects in the symbol. Source: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted .... |
Literature | Water (See Dancing Water .) The Father of Waters. The Mississippi (Indian, Michc Sepe), the chief river of North America. The Missouri is its child. The Irrawaddy is so called also. Water Blood thicker than water. (See under Blood .) Court holy water. Fair but empty words. In French, "Eau $$$ de ceur. " In deep water. In difficulties; in great perplexity. It makes my mouth water. It is very alluring; it makes me long for it. Saliva is excited in the mouth by strong desire. The French have the same phrase: "Cela fait venir Veau à la bouche. " More water glideth by the mill than wots the miller of (Titus Andronicus, ii. 1). The Scotch say, "Mickle water goes by the miller when he sleeps." (See under Miller.) O'er muckle water drowned the miller. (See Drown The Miller.) The weaver, in fact, is hanged in his own yarn. The French say, "Un embarras de richesse. " Of the first water. Of the highest type; very excellent. (See under Diamond.) Smooth water runs deep. Deep thinkers are persons of few words; barking dogs do not bite. There are two or three French proverbs of somewhat similar meaning. For example: "En cau endormie point ne se fe; " again, "L'can qui dort est pire que celle quit court. " A calm exterior is far more to be feared than a tongue-doughty Bobadil. The modest water saw its God and blushed. The allusion is to Christ's turning water into wine at the marriage feast. Richard Crashaw (1670) wrote the Latin epigram in pentameter verse. "Nympha pudica Deam vidit et erubuit." To back water. To row backwards in order to reverse the forward motion of a boat in rowing. To carry water to the river. To carry coals to Newcastle. In French, "Porter de l'eau à la rivière. " To fish in troubled water. The French saying is, "Pêcher en eau troubé," i.e. "Profiter des époques de trouble et de révolution pour faire ses affaires et as fortune. (Hilaire Le Gai.) To hold water. That won't hold water. That is not correct; it is not tenable. It is a vessel which leaks. To keep one's head above water. To remain out of debt. When immersed in water, while the head is out of water, one is not drowned. To throw cold water on a scheme. To discourage the proposal; to speak of it slightingly. Water The coldest water known. Colder than the water of Nonacris (Pliny, xiii. 2). Colder than the water of Dirce. "Dirce et Neme fontes sunt frigidissimi aestate, inter Bilbilim et Segobregam, in ripa fere Salonis amnis." (Martial.) Colder than the water of Dircenna. (Martial, i. 51.) Colder than the Conthoporian Spring of Corinth, that froze up the gastric juices of those that sipped it. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Mining | A. Clear, colorless liquid. b. A rarely used term referring to the color and clarity of a preciousstone or pearl, and esp. of a diamond. (references) |
Slang in 1811 | WATER. His chops watered at it; he longed earnestly for it. To watch his waters; to keep a strict watch on any one's actions. In hot water: in trouble, engaged in disputes. Source: 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Riddarfjärden, literally the Knight Bay, is a bay of lake Mälaren in central Stockholm. Stockholm was built in 1250 on an island in the stream where lake Mälaren (from the west) drains into the Baltic Sea (to the east). The island is today called Stadsholmen and constitutes Stockholm's Old Town. It is surrounded by land to the north (Norrmalm) and south (Södermalm), and by water to the west (Riddarfjärden) and to the east (Stockholms ström).
(Larger image)The panorama picture above was taken from the heights of Södermalm, west of Stadsholmen, looking down on Riddarfjärden and (left to right):
See also: Geography of Stockholm
- Västerbron (bridge),
- island Kungsholmen
- Stockholm City Hall, a red brick building with a bell tower, where the Nobel Prize dinner is served
- tower of Klara Kyrka on Norrmalm, with green copper roof
- the five white sky scrapers at Hötorget square
- lots of construction cranes
- high iron tower of Riddarholmskyrkan on island Riddarholmen
- yellow tower of Storkyrkan on Stadsholmen, in front of the flat roof of the Royal Palace in Stockholm
- narrow tower of Tyska Kyrkan on Stadsholmen
- far away radio and TV tower Kaknästornet
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Riddarfjärden."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
nah:Atl nds:Water simple:Water
Water is a chemical compound which is liquid at room temperature and standard pressure. It has the chemical formula H2O, meaning that one molecule of water is composed of 2 hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. Water is found almost everywhere on earth and is required by all known life. About 70% of the earth's surface is covered by water.
Properties
General
Name Water Chemical formula H2O Appearance Colourless liquid Physical
Formula weight 18.01528 amu Melting point 273 K (0 °C) Boiling point 373 K (100 °C) Critical temperature 674 K Critical Pressure 22.1x10^6?? Pa Density 1.0 ×103 kg/m3 Thermochemistry
ΔfH0gas -241.83 kJ/mol ΔfH0liquid -285.83 kJ/mol ΔfH0solid -291.83 kJ/mol S0gas, 1 bar 188.84 J/mol·K S0liquid, 1 bar 69.95 J/mol·K S0solid 41 J/mol·K Safety
Ingestion Necessary to life; excessive consumption can cause headache, confusion, and cramps, and can be fatal in athletes Inhalation Non-toxic. Can dissolve surfactant of lungs. Suffocation in water is called drowning. Skin Prolonged immersion may cause flaking (desquamation). Eyes Not dangerous. SI units were used where possible. Unless otherwise stated, standard conditions were used. Disclaimer and references
General
The solid state of water is known as (water) ice; the gaseous state is known as steam. The units of temperature (formerly the degree Celsius and now the Kelvin) are defined in terms of the triple point of water, 273.16 K (0.01 °C) and 611.2 Pa, the temperature and pressure at which solid, liquid, and gaseous water coexist in equilibrium.
At temperatures greater than 647 K and pressures greater than 22.064 MPa, a collection of water molecules assumes a supercritical condition, in which liquid-like clusters float within a vapor-like phase.
A body of water is a term for an ocean, sea, lake, river, stream, canal, pond, or the like. See water (resource) for information about fresh water supplies. See also beach, ferry, pier.
Chemists sometimes jokingly refer to water as dihydrogen monoxide or DHMO (see http://www.dhmo.org/),
the systematic covalent name of this molecule, especially in parodies of chemical research that call for this "lethal chemical" to be banned. The systematic acid name of water is hydroxic acid or hydroxilic acid, although these terms are rarely used.
The dipolar nature of water
An important feature of water is its polar nature. The water molecule forms an angle, with hydrogen atoms at the tips and oxygen at the vertex. Since oxygen has a higher electronegativity than hydrogen, the side of the molecule with the oxygen atom has a partial negative charge, relative to the hydrogen side. A molecule with such a charge difference is called a dipole. The charge differences cause water molecules to be attracted to each other (the relatively positive areas being attracted to the relatively negative areas) and to other polar molecules. This attraction is known as hydrogen bonding.
This relatively weak (relative to the covalent bonds within the water molecule itself) attraction results in properties such as a very high boiling point, because a lot of heat energy is necessary to break the hydrogen bonds between molecules, and also a large specific heat capacity.
Also due to hydrogen bonding, water molecules have the peculiar property that their density in the liquid state is higher than in the crystalline (solid) state. The highest density of water occurs in the liquid form at a temperature of 4 °C. This has the effect that the water at the bottom of lakes in winter typically has a temperature of 4 °C, allowing fish to survive. Another consequence is that ice will melt if sufficient pressure is applied.
Water as a solvent
Water is also a good solvent due to its polarity. When an ionic or polar compound enters water, it is surrounded by water molecules. The relatively small size of water molecules typically allows many water molecules to surround one molecule of solute. The partially negative dipoles of the water are attracted to positively charged components of the solute, and vice versa for the positive dipoles.
In general, ionic and polar substances such as acids, alcohols, and salts are easily soluble in water, and nonpolar substances such as fats and oils are not. Nonpolar molecules stay together in water because it is energetically more favorable for the water molecules to hydrogen bond to each other than to engage in van der Waals interactions with nonpolar molecules.
An example of an ionic solute is table salt; the sodium chloride, NaCl, separates into Na+ cations and Cl- anions, each being surrounded by water molecules. The ions are then easily transported away from their crystalline lattice into solution. An example of a nonionic solute is table sugar. The water dipoles hydrogen bond to the dipolar regions of the sugar molecule and allow it to be carried away into solution.
The solvent properties of water are vital in biology, because many biochemical reactions take place only in solution (e.g., reactions in the cytoplasm and blood).
Cohesion and surface tension
The strong hydrogen bonds give water a high cohesiveness and, consequently, surface tension. This is evident when small quantities of water are put onto a nonsoluble surface and the water stays together as drops. This feature is important when water is carried through xylem up stems in plants; the strong intermolecular attractions hold the water column together, and prevent tension caused by transpiration pull. Other liquids with lower surface tension would have a higher tendency to "rip", forming vacuum or air pockets and rendering the xylem vessel inoperative.
Conductivity
Pure water is actually an insulator, meaning that it does not conduct electricity well. Because water is such a good solvent, it often has some solute dissolved in it, most frequently salt. If water has such impurities, then it can conduct electricity well.
Electrolysis
Water can be split into its constituent elements, hydrogen and oxygen, by passing a current through it. This process is called electrolysis. Water molecules naturally disassociate into H+ and OH- ions, which are pulled toward the cathode and anode, respectively. At the cathode, two H+ ions pick up electrons and form H2 gas. At the anode, four OH- ions combine and release O2 gas, molecular water, and four electrons. The gases produced bubble to the surface, where they can be collected.
Reactivity
Chemically, water is amphoteric: able to act as an acid or base. Occasionally the term hydroxic acid is used when water acts as an acid in a chemical reaction. At a pH of 7 (neutral), the concentration of hydroxide ions (OH-) is equal to that of the hydronium (H3O+) or hydrogen ions (H+) ions. If the equilibrium is disturbed, the solution becomes acidic (higher concentration of hydronium ions) or basic (higher concentration of hydroxide ions).
Purifying water
Purified water is needed for many industrial applications, as well as for consumption. Humans require water that does not contain too much salt or other impurities. Common impurities include chemicals or harmful bacteria. Some solutes are acceptable and even desirable for perceived taste enhancement. Water that is suitable for drinking is termed potable water.
Six popular methods for purifying water are:
- Filtering: Water is passed through a sieve that catches small particles. The tighter the mesh of the sieve, the smaller the particles must be to pass through. Filtering is not sufficient to completely purify water, but it is often a necessary first step, since such particles can interfere with the more thorough purification methods.
- Boiling: Water is heated to its boiling point long enought to inactivate or kill microorganisms that normally live in water at room temperature. Boiling does not remove solutes that have a lower boiling point than the solution, and in fact increases their concentration.
- Carbon filtering: Charcoal, a compound that contains a high concentration of carbon, absorbs many compounds, including toxic compounds. Water is passed through activated charcoal to remove such contaminants. This method is most commonly used in household water filters and fish tanks.
- Distilling: Distillation involves boiling the water to produce water vapor. The water vapor then rises to a cooled surface where it can condense back into a liquid and be collected. Because the solutes are not normally vaporized, they remain in the boiling solution. Even distillation does not completely purify water, because of contaminants with similar boiling points and droplets of unvaporized liquid carried with the steam. Still, 99.9% pure water can be obtained by distillation.
- Reverse osmosis: Mechanical pressure is applied to an impure solution to force pure water through a semi-permeable membrane. The term is reverse osmosis, because normal osmosis would result in pure water moving in the other direction to dilute the impurities. Reverse osmosis is theoretically the most thorough method of large-scale water purification available, although perfect semi-permable membranes are difficult to create.
- Ion exchange chromatography: In this case, water is passed through a charged resin column that has side chains that trap calcium, magnesium, and other heavy metal ions. In many laboratories, this method of purification has replaced distillation, as it provides more quickly a high volume of very pure water. Water purified in this way is called deionized water.
Mythology
Water is one of the four classical elements along with fire, earth and air, and was regarded as the ylem, or basic stuff of the universe. Water was considered cold and moist. In the theory of the four bodily humours, water was asssociated with phlegm.
Water was also one of the Chinese five elements along with air, fire, wood, and metal.
Water rights and development
In the United States water law is divided between two legal doctrines: riparian water rights, used in the eastern and southern states where there is an abundance of water and the appropriation doctrine (or Colorado doctrine) used in the arid western states.
UNESCO's World Water Development Report (WWDR, 2003) from its World Water Assessment Program indicates that in the next 20 years the world is facing an unprecedented lack of drinking water. The quantity of water available to everyone is predicted to decrease by 30%. The causes are contamination, global warming and political problems.
40% of the world's inhabitants have insufficient fresh water for minimal hygiene. More than 2.2 million people died in 2000 from illnesses related to the consumption of contaminated water.
The report indicates large global disparities in the raw volume of available water: from 10 m³ per person per year in Kuwait to 812.121 [m³?] in French Guiana. However, richer countries such as Kuwait can more easily cope with low water availability.
Body of water
See also
- Dehydration
- Drinking water
- Drought
- Flood
- Heavy water
- Hydrography
- Hydrology
- Polywater theory
- Precipitation
- Rain
- Trasvasement
External links
- World Water Forum
- World Water Assessment Program
- United Nations' World Water Development Report
- Mpemba Effect ~ Can hot water freeze faster than cold water?
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Water."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Water is one of the four classical elements in ancient Greek philosophy and science. Water is considered to be both cold and wet, and according to Plato is associated with the icosahedron.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Water (classical element)."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Fire Pokémon are a certain type of Pokémon, including the following:
This list will be expanded as more Pokémon entries are created on Wikipedia.
- Squirtle
- Wartortle
- Blastoise
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Water Pokémon."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Water pollution has many sources and characteristics. Humans and other organisms produce bodily wastes which enter rivers, lakes, oceans, and other surface waters; in high concentrations these wastes result in bacterial contamination and excessive nutrient loading. Industries discharge a variety of toxic compounds and heavy metals, and industrial process wastewater may also be too hot or too low in dissolved oxygen to support life. Silt-bearing runoff from construction sites and farms can inhibit the penetration of sunlight through the water column, and hampers water organisms in their search for food.Causes
The causes of water pollution can be divided into two groups: anthropogenic sources of pollution are those due to human choices, and natural sources are those resulting from forces intrinsic to the environment. Anthropogenic sources include:
Natural sources include:
- discharge of poorly-treated or untreated sewage;
- runoff from construction sites, farms, or paved and other impervious surfaces;
- discharge of contaminated and/or heated water used on industrial processes
- acid rain caused by industrial discharge of sulphur dioxide (by burning high-sulfur fossil fuels)
Contaminants
- seasonal turnover of lakes and embayments;
- siltation due to floods;
- eutrophication of lakes due to seasonal changes
- acid rain caused by natural volcanic discharges
- acid pollution of rivers and lakes by runoff from naturally acid soils
- carbon dioxide discharges and runoff, volcanic or mineral
Contaminants may include organic and inorganic substances. Organic water pollutants include:
Inorganic pollutants include:
- bacteria, as from sewage or livestock operations;
- food processing waste;
- tree and brush debris from logging operations
Further reading
- metals;
- acid mine drainage;
- silt in stormwater runoff from cleared land
- acid rain caused by industrial or volcanic discharges
- acid pollution of lakes by runoff from acid soils
- carbon dioxide discharges and runoff, volcanic or mineral
Sources
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Homepage, http://www.epa.gov/ Kentucky Division of Water Homepage, http://water.ky.gov/
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Water pollution."
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
WATER | English | Water Data Acquisition in Real Time for Coastal Ecosystems Research and Services | Environment |
| WAFT | English | Water,air and flour temperatures factor | Food & Agriculture |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
Synonyms: WaterSynonyms: body of water (n), pee (n), piddle (n), piss (n), urine (n), water supply (n), water system (n), weewee (n), irrigate (v). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Depth | Soundings, depth of water, water, draught, submersion; plummet, sound, probe; sounding rod, sounding line; lead. |
Water | Add water, water, wet; moisten; dilute, dip, immerse; merge; immerge, submerge; plunge, souse, duck, drown; soak, steep, macerate, pickle, wash, sprinkle, lave, bathe, affuse, splash, swash, douse, drench; dabble, slop, slobber, irrigate, inundate, deluge; syringe, inject, gargle. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Water |
| Non-English Usage: "Water" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses. Afrikaan (water), Dutch (water). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Yes, it's from Fizzoli's, it's amazingly fresh, you just pop it in water and it's done (American Beauty; writing credit: Alan Ball) Can I borrow your towel, my car just hit a water buffalo (Fletch; writing credit: Andrew Bergman) A water buffalo (His Girl Friday; writing credit: Ben Hecht; Charles MacArthur) White water rapids (The African Queen; writing credit: C.S. Forester; James Agee) Is it a water heater (True Lies; writing credit: Claude Zidi; Simon Michaël) | |
Lyrics | Smoke on the water, fire in the sky (Smoke on the Water; performing artist: Deep Purple) Black water keeps rollin' on past just the same (Black Water; performing artist: Doobie Brothers) Like a bridge over troubled water (Bridge Over Troubled Water; performing artist: Simon and Garfunkel) This pill will help me yet as will these boys gone through like water (Precious Illusions; performing artist: Alanis Morissette) But ain't no problems, unless the water don't stay blue (If I Could Go; performing artist: Angie Martinez) | |
Clever | Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. (references; author: Mark Twain) Don't throw away the old bucket until you know whether the new one holds water. (references; author: Swedish Proverb) H2O is hot water, and CO2 is cold water. (references; author: unknown) Delaware: We Really Do Like The Chemicals In Our Water (references; author: unknown) The best way to keep your kids out of hot water is to put some dishes in it. (references; author: unknown) | |
Tongue Twisters | A leaky rear latch on the listing bark lifted right up and the water rushed in. (references; author: unknown) While we were walking, we were watching window washers wash Washington's windows with warm washing water. (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Treading Water (2002) Don't Drink the Water (1974) Water Wind Earth and Sun (1974) Thicker Than Water (1973) | |
Song Titles | Cool Water (performing artist: Jack Scott) Bridge Over Troubled Water (performing artist: Simon and Garfunkel) Pour More Water On Her, George (performing artist: Tetes Noire) Still Water (performing artist: The Four Tops) Dirty Water (performing artist: The Standells) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
References |
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Books |
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Periodicals | |||
Theater & Movies |
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Music |
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High Tech |
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Consumer Goods | |||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Shown is a lab technician performing a step in the estrogen receptor assay test. She is seen with a test tube containing some frozen breast tissue, inserted in a beaker of ice water. She is readying the tube for mixing. The tube is being attached to the appropriate machinery. The technician, wearing rubber gloves and a white lab coat is not visible in all slides. This test determines whether antiestrogen drugs or removal of ovaries is likely to be the effective therapy. Credit: Linda Bartlett (photographer). |  | A variety of photos of pills; bottles of pills; woman with water and pills; hand with pills; cup and pills; boxes of pills. The pills are of the drugs tamoxifen and rolaxifene that are being used in a breast cancer prevention trial (STAR). Credit: Bill Branson (photographer). |
 | Vibrio cholerae is transmitted to humans through the ingestion of contaminated food or water, and produces a cholera toxin, which acts on the intestinal mucosa, and causes severe diarrhea. Credit: CDC. |  | Ingestion of V. cholera contaminated water is a typical mode of pathogen transmission. Credit: CDC. |
 | "Water Wave" (movie) by Yehia Muhsen. |  | Nose Cone Water Cooling. Credit: NASA. |
 | Evidence for Recent Liquid Water on Mars. Credit: NASA. |  | Frosty white water ice clouds and swirling orange dust storms above a vivid rusty landscape ... Credit: NASA. |
 | Akpatok Island lies in Ungava Bay in northern Quebec, Canada. Accessible only by air, Akpatok Island rises out of the water as sheer cliffs that soar 500 to 800 feet (150 to 243km) above the sea surface. The island is an important sanctuary for cliff-nesting seabirds. Numerous ice floes around the island attract walrus and whales, making Akpatok a traditional hunting ground for native Inuit people. Credit: NASA. |  | These cloud formations were seen over the western Aleutian Islands. Their color variations are probably due to differences in temperature and in the size of water droplets that make up the clouds. Credit: NASA. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |  |
| "Water closet" by Alejandro Levy Commentary: "It's a photography of a water closet." | "Wood and water" by Hans Renner Commentary: "This picture was taken in a small forrest in Holland." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Play | Caption | Play | Caption |
 | Digital piano arpeggios with light digital water drops in background. | | Water foul honking and quacking. |
| Water slowly draining and bubbling through a clogged drain. | | Pouring water from a pitcher into two glasses. |
| Water flowing in a stream with toad croaking. | | Shore birds cawing while water ripples nearby. |
| Pouring water from a pitcher into a glass. | | Water flowing in a stream with toad croaking and crickets chirping. |
| Glug glug of the water cooler jug emptying into the crock. | | Water draining in a sink. |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
Author Unknown | When the well's dry, they know the worth of water. |
Confucius | Water can both sustain and engulf a ship. |
George Herbert | The mill cannot grind with the water that's past. |
Henry David Thoreau | Water is the only drink for a wise man. |
Josh Billings | Flattery is like cologne water, to be smelt, not swallowed. |
Lucretius | The fall of dropping water wears away the Stone. |
Samuel Butler | These reasons made his mouth to water. |
William Blake | Expect poison from standing water. |
William Shakespeare | A woman would run through fire and water for such a kind heart. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
Magna Carta | 1215 | And the city of London shall have all it ancient liberties and free customs, as well by land as by water; furthermore, we decree and grant that all other cities, boroughs, towns, and ports shall have all their liberties and free customs. (reference) |
John Locke | 1690 | No body could think himself injured by the drinking of another man, though he took a good draught, who had a whole river of the same water left him to quench his thirst: and the case of land and water, where there is enough of both, is perfectly the same. (Second Treatise of Government) |
US Constitution | 1791 | Clause 1: The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States; Clause 2: To borrow Money on the credit of the United States; Clause 3: To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes; Clause 4: To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States; Clause 5: To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures; Clause 6: To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States; Clause 7: To establish Post Offices and post Roads; Clause 8: To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries; Clause 9: To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court; Clause 10: To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations; Clause 11: To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water; Clause 12: To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years; Clause 13: To provide and maintain a Navy; Clause 14: To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces; Clause 15: To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions; Clause 16: To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress; Clause 17: To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, byCession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;--And Clause 18: To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof. (reference) |
Communist Manifesto | 1848 | Has not Christianity declaimed against private property, against marriage, against the State? Has it not preached in the place of these, charity and poverty, celibacy and mortification of the flesh, monastic life and Mother Church? Christian Socialism is but the holy, water with which the priest consecrates the heart-burnings of the aristocrat. (reference) |
Treaty of Versailles | 1919 | Similarly, the right of taking water from the Rhine is accorded to Belgium to feed the Rhine-Meuse navigable waterway provided for below. (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Alice in Wonderland | Carroll, Lewis | The Mouse gave a sudden leap out of the water, and seemed to quiver all over with fright |
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Douglas Adams | "What's so unpleasant about being drunk?" "You ask a glass of water." |
Scarlet Letter | Hawthorne, Nathaniel | It appeared to contain medical preparations, one of which he mingled with a cup of water. |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | Oh, Fantine, worthy to be called Marguerite or Pearl, you are a jewel of the purest water. |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | Then replacing the jar in the locker he poured a little of the whisky into two glasses, added a little water and came back with them to the fireplace |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | They ignored hills and gulches, water courses, fences, houses |
Gulliver's Travels | Swift, Jonathan | When I advanced to the middle of the channel, they were yet in more pain, because I was under water to my neck |
Walden | Thoreau, Henry David | Put the meal into the trough, add water gradually, and knead it thoroughly |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Drink safe water. (references) | |
Do not swim in polluted water. (references) | ||
The seizure happened in water. (references) | ||
Business | Water pollution in Thailand is severe. (references) | |
Low, subsidized water rates are to blame. (references) | ||
Recycled water costs more than fresh water. (references) | ||
Children | Malawi | Only one-third of children have easy access to safe drinking water. (references) |
Somalia | Schools at all levels lack textbooks, laboratory equipment, and running water. (references) | |
Georgia | Children received inadequate food, clothing, education, and medical care; facilities lacked heat, water, and electricity. (references) | |
Civil Liberties | Angola | There also were reports that the camp coordinator threatened to deny food aid to camp residents who refused to pay for their water. (references) |
Algeria | Security forces used tear gas and water cannons to break up the demonstrations when 600 to 700 protestors became violent, throwing stones at police. (references) | |
Somalia | In the Qoryoley district, militia members reportedly created checkpoints along the river where residents obtain water and charged them to take water from the river. (references) | |
Economic History | Jordan | In the summer, water is often rationed. (references) |
Senegal | Bouygues is present in the water sector. (references) | |
Brazil | Brazil has 12% of the world's fresh water. (references) | |
Human Rights | Haiti | Prisons continued to experience water shortages. (references) |
South Africa | The villages have no running water or electricity. (references) | |
Panama | Coiba prisoners suffer from malnutrition and shortages of potable water. (references) | |
Indigenous People | Chile | Police used water cannons on the protesters. (references) |
Ecuador | Electricity and potable water often are unavailable. (references) | |
Venezuela | As farmers and miners intrude on their habitats, indigenous communities face deforestation and water pollution. (references) | |
Minorities | Ethiopia | The clashes often result from disputes over water and grazing rights. (references) |
Greece | Most Romani camps have no running water, electricity, garbage disposal, or sewage treatment. (references) | |
Mexico | Water service to the evangelical families, disrupted for months by local leaders, was restored in late August. (references) | |
Political Economy | Georgia | Key exports are scrap metal, manganese, wine, mineral water, and agricultural products. (references) |
Sudan | Abductees frequently are forced to herd cattle, work in the fields, fetch water, dig wells, and do housework. (references) | |
NICARAGUA | Taxes on chicken products, mineral water, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, cigars, and cigarettes were also increased. (references) | |
Political Rights | Bulgaria | A number of women hold elective and appointive office at high levels in the new Government, including one Deputy Prime Minister (who also is Minister of Labor and Social Policy), the Minister of Environment and Water Resources, and ten deputy ministers. (references) |
Trade | Kenya | These include the $60 million Greater Nakuru Water Supply. (references) |
Bulgaria | All the zones are located on strategic trade rail, road and/or water trade routes. (references) | |
Travel | Ghana | You should only drink bottled water. (references) |
Yemen | Water supplies can also be irregular. (references) | |
Lithuania | Boiling drinking water is recommended. (references) | |
Women | Kuwait | In 2000 a Sri Lankan maid was beaten severely with a plastic water pipe, strangled with a wire, and repeatedly tortured with a hot iron, allegedly by a Kuwaiti couple who employed her. (references) |
Worker Rights | Uganda | Sanitation and water facilities often are lacking. (references) |
Belize | Company-provided housing often lacks electricity and water. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | SYLPH, n. An immaterial but visible being that inhabited the air when the air was an element and before it was fatally polluted with factory smoke, sewer gas and similar products of civilization. Sylphs were allied to gnomes, nymphs and salamanders, which dwelt, respectively, in earth, water and fire, all now insalubrious. Sylphs, like fowls of the air, were male and female, to no purpose, apparently, for if they had progeny they must have nested in accessible places, none of the chicks having ever been seen. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Dennis Miller | Look, trying to separate the Middle East equitably is like trying to cut a water balloon in half with the back of a comb. |
Ed McMahon | That's right. Water cooler conversation. And the next day, you got a pretty good perspective as to what was happening in the country. |
Jack Hanna | Oh, yeah. Patagonian cavy. Yeah. But they're an animal not many people see. They kind of hang around swamps and things like that to be near the water and also near vegetation. But they also live in the desert. |
Robert F. Kennedy | I was asked down there by a number of groups. I'm an attorney for the Natural Resource Defense Council and Water Keeper and I actually represent them in a series of environment lawsuits in, on Vieques. |
Rush Limbaugh | Money is like water. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
Thomas Jefferson | 1801-1809 | Whether our movable force on the water, so material in aid of the defensive works on the land, should be augmented in this or any other form is left to the wisdom of the Legislature. |
Harry S. Truman | 1945-1953 | The Congress has shown itself alive to the practical requirements for a beneficial use of our water resources by providing that preference in the sale of power be given to farmers' cooperatives and public agencies. |
Lyndon B. Johnson | 1963-1969 | We all drink water-pure water or polluted water. |
Jimmy Carter | 1977-1981 | In the part that sound water resource projects play in providing irrigation, power, and flood control. |
Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 | Clean water and clean air. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Water" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 96.71% of the time. "Water" is used about 34,382 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 96.71% | 33,252 | 254 |
| Noun (proper) | 3.21% | 1,103 | 6,859 |
| Lexical Verb (infinitive) | 0.05% | 17 | 85,106 |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 0.03% | 9 | 117,287 |
| Total | 100.00% | 34,382 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes the usage of "water" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified. |
| Name | Usage/Gender | Usage per 100 million Persons | Rank in USA |
| Water | Last name | 300 | 25,911 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits. | |||
| The following table summarizes names derived from the word "water". | |||
| Name | Gender | Language | Meaning |
| Adaliah | N/A | Biblical | One that draws water |
| Jidlaph | N/A | Biblical | He that distills water |
| Leummim | N/A | Biblical | Without water |
| Medad | N/A | Biblical | Water of love |
| Theudas | N/A | Biblical | Flowing with water |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references.
| |||
| Country | Name | Country | Name |
| China | Shanghai Municipal Raw Water Co., Ltd. | Germany |