eau
Wordform Details
Translation: water
Part of Speech: noun
Inflection Type:
femininesingularIs Dictionary Form: No
Dictionary Form Details
Lemma: eau
Translation: water; waters; liquid (noun)
Etymology: From Old French eaue, from Latin aqua (water). The Latin root aqua is found in many English words like 'aquatic', 'aquarium', and 'aqueduct'. The French word underwent significant phonetic changes over time, losing the initial 'a' and the 'qu' sound to become the modern 'eau', pronounced simply as a single vowel sound /o/.
Mnemonics
- Eau sounds like 'oh' in English, as if you're surprised by water splashing on you: 'Oh! Water!'
- Think of a beautiful water (eau) feature that makes you say 'Ohhh!' in admiration.
Example Wordforms
Cultural Context
Water (eau) is central to French culture, from the importance of mineral waters (eaux minérales) to the distinction between still water (eau plate) and sparkling water (eau gazeuse) commonly offered at restaurants. France is also known for its eau de toilette and eau de parfum in the perfume industry.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: 'Eau' means 'water' while 'au' is a contraction of 'à le' meaning 'to the' or 'at the'.
This word:
Je bois de l'eau.
I drink water.
Confused word:
Je vais au marché.
I go to the market.
Notes: Both are pronounced similarly as /o/, but have completely different meanings and grammatical functions.
Mnemonic: 'Eau' has an extra letter 'e' which you can think of as the 'extra' element that makes it water.
Explanation: 'Eau' means 'water' while 'os' means 'bone'. They sound similar in French pronunciation.
Confused word:
Le chien ronge un os.
The dog is gnawing on a bone.
Notes: Both words have a similar /o/ sound in French but are spelled and mean completely different things.
Mnemonic: Think of the 'e' in 'eau' as flowing like water, while 'os' is hard and straight like a bone.