*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of aqua-

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ékʷeh₂ Proto-Italic *akʷā Latin aquabor. Middle English aqua English aqua- From Middle English aqua (“water”), borrowed from Latin aqua

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
prefix

water

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ékʷeh₂ Proto-Italic *akʷā Latin aquabor. Middle English aqua English aqua- From Middle English aqua (“water”), borrowed from Latin aqua

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionaquaenm · water
  • Derivation mentionaquala
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:aqua",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂ékʷeh₂\nProto-Italic *akʷā\nLatin aquabor.\nMiddle English aqua\nEnglish aqua-\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"water\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂ékʷeh₂\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*akʷā\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"aqua\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"aqua\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"aqua-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"aqua-\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "aqua",
        "t": "water"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English aqua (“water”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "aqua"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin aqua"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:aqua",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂ékʷeh₂\nProto-Italic *akʷā\nLatin aquabor.\nMiddle English aqua\nEnglish aqua-"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*h₂ékʷeh₂",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂ékʷeh₂#Proto-Indo-European:_water"
    ],
    [
      "*akʷā",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/akʷā"
    ],
    [
      "aqua",
      "aqua#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "aqua",
      "aqua#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "aqua",
      "aqua#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "aqua",
      "aqua#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "water"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "f8bf00df38ad10909490e90ad05ca98ed991044b98446a95b8b6d70eaceebd25",
      "rawRecordSha256": "06be41e3262cef5548d2f0f2787e55a172ae0d1ac3c207becfc683e74f14be63",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 185560
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for aqua- →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YXF1YS0