eau

From Middle English ea, eo, from Old English ēa (“running water, water, stream, river”), from Proto-Germanic *ahwō (“waters, river”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ekʷeh₂ (“water, flowing water”). Doublet of aqua. Compare ea, yeo. Related to, and spelling influenced by, but not derived from French eau (“water”).

• IPA^(key): /juː/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Homophones: ewe, u, yew, you; hew, hue, Hugh (h-dropping)
• Rhymes: -əʊ

eau (plural eaus)

1. (Lincolnshire) Alternative form of ea

• Present in several river names in Lincolnshire. See List of waterways in Lincolnshire

• ea
• Eau
• yeo

• EUA, U.A.E., UAE, UEA, Uea

From Proto-Ngero *i-om (compare Malalamai yu), although the precise form of this word, like Kove and Lusi veao, is unexplained.^[1]

• IPA^(key): /ˈeɑu/,

eau

1. water

• eau-eai (“in the water”) /eɑu.eɑi/,

• Steve Gallagher, Peirce Baehr, Bariai Grammar Sketch (2005)

Inherited from Middle French eau, eaue, from Old French ewe, euwe, egua (“water”), from Latin aqua (“water”), 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, Franco-Provençal égoua and éva, Occitan aiga, Catalan aigua, Corsican acqua.

• IPA^(key): /o/

• Audio; “de l'eau”:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -o
• Homophones: au, aux, aulx, eaux, haut, hauts, ho, o, ô, oh, os

eau f (plural eaux)

1. water, a liquid that is transparent, colorless, odorless, and tasteless in its pure form, the primary constituent of lakes, rivers, seas, and oceans

   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, volume 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.

     The alteration of the lake's water by the effect of the current from the bottom to the surface seems to be explained by the fact that the density current had a higher temperature than the inferior and medium layers of the lake.

2. In particular, rain

   Si le vent dure, nous aurons de l’eau.

   If the wind persists, we will have rain.

3. (chemistry) the chemical compound with molecular 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.

4. 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.

5. Fluids such as sweat, formed and found in the body of man or animal

   Les vésicatoires font des ampoules pleines d’eau.

   Vesicants make blisters full of fluid.

   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.

• Antillean Creole: dlo
• Guianese Creole: dilo
• Haitian Creole: dlo
• Karipúna Creole French: djilo, dlo
• Louisiana Creole: dilo
• Mauritian Creole: dilo
• Seychellois Creole: delo
• Tayo: delo, dolo

• “eau”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

• eaue

From Old French euwe, ewe, egua, from Latin aqua.

This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

eau f (plural eaus or eaux)

1. water

• French: eau (see there for further descendants)

eau (Puter)

1. Alternative form of jau (“I”)