aqua-

word-forming element meaning "water," from Latin aqua "water; the sea; rain," cognate with Proto-Germanic *akhwo (source of Old English ea "river," Gothic ahua "river, waters," Old Norse Ægir, name of the sea-god, Old English ieg "island"), from PIE root *akwa- "water."

Entries linking to aqua-

aqua fortis (n.)

also aquafortis, old commercial name for "diluted nitric acid," c. 1600, Latin, literally "strong water;" for the elements, see aqua- + fort. Also see aqua. So called for its power of dissolving metals (copper, silver) which are unaffected by other agents.

aqua vitae (n.)

also aqua-vitae, early 15c., Latin, literally "water of life," an alchemical term for unrefined alcohol. It was applied to brandy, whiskey, etc. from 1540s. For the elements, see aqua- + vital; also see aqua. Compare whiskey, also French eau-de-vie "spirits, brandy," literally "water of life."

See all related words (11) >

More to Explore

the usual Old English word for "river, running water" (still in use in Lancashire, according to OED), from Proto-Germanic *ahwo- (source also of Old Frisian a, Old Saxon aha, Old High German aha, German ahe-, Old Dutch aha, Old Norse "water"), from PIE root *ekweh- "water" (see a

river

early 13c. (late 12c. in surnames), "a considerable body of water flowing with perceptible current in a definite course or channel," from Anglo-French rivere, Old French riviere "river, riverside, river bank" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *riparia "riverbank, seashore, river" (source

pluvial

pertaining to rain," from French pluvial (12c.), from Latin pluvialis "of or pertaining to rain, rainy, rain-bringing," from (aqua...

aquarium

aquatic plants," noun use of neuter of Latin aquarius "pertaining to water" (also, as a noun, "water-carrier"), genitive of aqua...

sluice

Old French escluse "sluice, floodgate" (Modern French écluse), from Late Latin exclusa "barrier to shut out water" (in aqua...

whiskey

According to Barnhart, the Gaelic is probably a loan-translation of Medieval Latin aqua vitae, which had been applied to...

sewer

(source of Old French esseveur), from Latin ex "out" (see ex-) + aquaria, fem. of aquarius "pertaining to water," from aqua...

anecdote

1670s, "secret or private stories," from French anecdote (17c.) or directly from Medieval Latin anecdota, from Greek anekdota "things unpublished," neuter plural of anekdotos, from an- "not" (see an- (1)) + ekdotos "published," from ek- "out" (see ex-) + didonai "to give" (from P

echo

mid-14c., "sound repeated by reflection," from Latin echo, from Greek ēkhō, personified in classical mythology as a mountain nymph who pined away for love of Narcissus until nothing was left of her but her voice, from or related to ēkhē "sound," ēkhein "to resound," from PIE *wag

pretend

late 14c., pretenden, "to profess, put forward as a statement or assertion, maintain" (a claim, etc.), "to direct (one's) efforts," from Old French pretendre "to lay claim," from Latin praetendere "stretch in front, spread before, put forward; put forward as an excuse, allege," f

Share aqua-

‘cite’

Page URL:

https://www.etymonline.com/word/aqua-

HTML Link:

<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/aqua-">Etymology of aqua- by etymonline</a>

APA style:

Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of aqua-. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved $(datetime), from https://www.etymonline.com/word/aqua-

Chicago style:

Harper Douglas, “Etymology of aqua-,” Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed $(datetime), https://www.etymonline.com/word/aqua-.

MLA style:

Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of aqua-.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/aqua-. Accessed $(datetimeMla).

IEEE style:

D. Harper. “Etymology of aqua-.” Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/aqua- (accessed $(datetime)).

updated on September 28, 2017

Remove ads >

Dictionary entries near aqua-

apterous

apteryx

aptitude

aptly

aptness

aqua-

aqua

aqua fortis

aqua vitae

aquacade

aquaculture