Water

Water
Recorded as Water, Wharter, Wauter, the patronymic Waters, and the residentials Atwater and Attwater, this is an English surname of great antiquity. It has two possible origins. The first and perhaps surprisingly most likely origin, has nothing whatsoever to do with 'water. It is a form of the male given name "Wauter", the medieval pronunciation of Walter, itself from the pre 7th century Old German name "Waldhar", meaning army-rule. This name was introduced into England by the Norman-French in 1066, and appears in the famous Domesday Book of 1086 as Walteri, whilst Waterus de Cantelupo was noted in the Danelaw for the county of Lincolnshire, in 1135. Early examples of the surname include: John Watter of Warwickshire, in 1214; and Richard Wauters of Worcestershire, in 1275. The second possible origin is however residential and as Attwater describes somebody who lived by 'waeter'. This may have been locational as in the various villages called Water in the counties of Devon, Dorset, Hertfordshire, Lancashire, and others, or it may have described perhaps a place used for drinking water. Willim Atewatr appearing in the Curia Regis charters for Hertfordshire in 1198. John Waters, who embarked from London on the ship "Transport" bound for Virginia in July 1635, was one of the early settlers to the New England colonies of America. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as the Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую
Synonyms:
, , , / (for drink), , , , / (as cloth, to give it an undulating or wavy appearance)


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Water —    • Water was much safer in olden times, but now it can contain poison and parasites (giardia and hepatitis). The best water is fast moving and at high elevations, and away from human habitation. Water should always be clear, never discolored or …   The writer's dictionary of science fiction, fantasy, horror and mythology

  • water — [wôt′ər, wät′ər] n. [ME < OE wæter, akin to Ger wasser < IE * wodōr < * wed , to wet (< base * awed , to moisten, flow) > Gr hydōr, water, L unda, a wave, Russ voda, water, Ir uisce, water] 1. the colorless, transparent liquid… …   English World dictionary

  • Water — Wa ter (w[add] t[ e]r), n. [AS. w[ae]ter; akin to OS. watar, OFries. wetir, weter, LG. & D. water, G. wasser, OHG. wazzar, Icel. vatn, Sw. vatten, Dan. vand, Goth. wat[=o], O. Slav. & Russ. voda, Gr. y dwr, Skr. udan water, ud to wet, and perhaps …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • water — ► NOUN 1) the liquid which forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain and is the basis of the fluids of living organisms. 2) (waters) an area of sea regarded as under the jurisdiction of a particular country. 3) (the waters) the water of a mineral… …   English terms dictionary

  • Water — Wa ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Watered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Watering}.] [AS. w[ae]terian, gew[ae]terian.] [1913 Webster] 1. To wet or supply with water; to moisten; to overflow with water; to irrigate; as, to water land; to water flowers. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Water — Wa ter, v. i. 1. To shed, secrete, or fill with, water or liquid matter; as, his eyes began to water. [1913 Webster] If thine eyes can water for his death. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. To get or take in water; as, the ship put into port to water.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • water — / vater/ s.m. [abbrev. di water closet ]. [vaso di maiolica e relativo sciacquone collocati nella stanza da bagno] ▶◀ (pop.) cesso, gabinetto, tazza, vaso, water closet …   Enciclopedia Italiana

  • water — [n] pure liquid hydrogen and oxygen Adam’s ale*, aqua, aqua pura*, drink, H2O, rain, rainwater, saliva, tears; concept 467 water [v] dampen; put water in baptize, bathe, damp, dilute, doctor, douse, drench, drool, flood, hose, imbue, inundate,… …   New thesaurus

  • water — wa‧ter [ˈwɔːtə ǁ ˈwɒːtər, ˈwɑː ] verb water something → down phrasal verb [transitive] to make a suggestion, rule, or proposal less forceful by removing some parts of it: • A late amendment watered down the insider trading penalties to a £100,000 …   Financial and business terms

  • water — BALAST [pr.: uótăr balast] n. Tanc conţinând lestul lichid al unei nave şi fiind plasat în fundul dublu al acesteia. /<fr., engl. water balast Trimis de siveco, 22.08.2004. Sursa: NODEX …   Dicționar Român

  • wáter — wáter, water closet → váter …   Diccionario panhispánico de dudas

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”