vatn

Faroese

Etymology

From Old Norse vatn, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vaʰtn̥/

Noun

vatn n (genitive singular vatns, plural vøtn)

1. (uncountable) water (H₂O)
2. (nautical) sea
3. body fluid
4. lake

Usage notes

kasta sær av vatni(num) - to pee

Declension

Declension of vatn
n5	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	vatn	vatnið	vøtn	vøtnini
accusative	vatn	vatnið	vøtn	vøtnini
dative	vatni	vatninum	vøtnum	vøtnunum
genitive	vatns	vatnsins	vatna	vatnanna

Derived terms

• tað rennur ikki vatn ímillum (teirra) - "there runs no water between them" (they are best friends)
• vatn kemur aftur, har vatn hevur verið - water comes back, where water has been

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse vatn, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vaʰtn̥/

Noun

vatn n (genitive singular vatns, nominative plural vötn)

1. (uncountable) water (H₂O)

   Vatnið er mjög tært.

   The water is very clear.

2. (countable) a lake, a water

   Á Arnarvatnsheiði er fjöldi vatna.

   On Arnarvatnsheiði [there] is a multitude of lakes.

   • Genesis 1-3 (English, Icelandic)

     Guð sagði: „Verði festing milli vatnanna, og hún greini vötn frá vötnum.“

     And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

Declension

Declension of vatn (neuter)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	vatn	vatnið	vötn	vötnin
accusative	vatn	vatnið	vötn	vötnin
dative	vatni	vatninu	vötnum	vötnunum
genitive	vatns	vatnsins	vatna	vatnanna

Derived terms

• horvatn
• kasta vatni
• munnvatn
• stöðuvatn
• vatnsbað
• vatnsleysi

Further reading

• “vatn” in the Dictionary of Modern Icelandic (in Icelandic) and ISLEX (in the Nordic languages)
• vatn in Hólmarsson et al.: Íslensk-ensk orðabók. 1989.

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

vatn n (definite singular vatnet, indefinite plural vatn, definite plural vatna or vatnene)

1. alternative form of vann

Derived terms

• brakkvatn
• ferskvatn
• sjøvatn
• tidvatn

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse vatn, from Proto-Germanic *watōr, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥. Akin to English water.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vatn/, [ʋɐ̞tn̥], /ˈvatən/, [ˈʋɐ̞t.tən], [ˈʋɐ̞tn̩]
• Hyphenation: vatn, vat‧n

Noun

vatn n (definite singular vatnet, indefinite plural vatn, definite plural vatna)

1. water (chemical substance)

   Eg skulle ynskja eg hadde noko vatn å drikka.

   I wish that I had some water to drink.

2. a (smaller) lake

   Dette vatnet har eg ikkje sett før.

   I have not seen this lake before.

3. bodily fluid that looks like water

Derived terms

• brakkvatn
• blandevatn
• farvatn
• ferskvatn
• havvatn
• regnvatn
• sjøvatn
• tidvatn
• torevatn
• tungtvatn

 

See also

• undervass-
• vass-

References

• “vatn” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *watōr, whence also Old Saxon and Old Dutch watar, Old English wæter, Old Frisian weter, Old High German wazzar. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥. Note that the Proto-Germanic stem of this word alternated between ending in -r (nominative and accusative singular) and in -n (other forms). The Old Norse word preserves the alternative stem ending in -n which was lost in most Germanic languages (the exception being Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐍄𐍉 (watō), genitive 𐍅𐌰𐍄𐌹𐌽𐍃 (watins)), leveling the nominative and accusative singular forms to also use this stem. Other Germanic languages typically leveled the paradigm of this word to be based entirely on the -r stem (e.g. Old English wæter, genitive wætres).

Pronunciation

• (in the singular) IPA^(key): /ˈwatn/, /ˈwɑtn/
• (in the plural) IPA^(key): /ˈwɒtn/, /ˈwɔtn/

Noun

vatn n

1. water
2. a body of freshwater; lake, waterway
3. fresh water (in contrast with seawater)

   Antonym: sær

Declension

  Declension of vatn (strong a-stem)

neuter	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	vatn	vatnit	vǫtn	vǫtnin
accusative	vatn	vatnit	vǫtn	vǫtnin
dative	vatni	vatninu	vǫtnum	vǫtnunum
genitive	vatns, vaz	vatnsins, vazins	vatna	vatnanna

Descendants

• Icelandic: vatn
• Faroese: vatn
• Norn: vatn
• Norwegian Nynorsk: vatn, vats-, vass- (e.g. in vassbasert)
  • → Norwegian Bokmål: vatn, vass-
• Elfdalian: wattn
• Old Swedish: vatn, vatu-
  • Swedish: vatten, vattu- (e.g. in Vattumannen)
• Old Danish: watn, wan, wand
  • Danish: vand
    • Norwegian Bokmål: vann
• Scanian: vann
• Gutnish: vattn

References

• “vatn”, in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press