What does it mean word for word?
ὕδωρ is a neuter noun of the third declension. Its stem, ὑδρ-, gives English words such as 'hydrate', 'hydrogen' and 'hydraulic'.
Which one should you use?
Greek also has θάλασσα, 'sea', as a distinct word, so ὕδωρ is the general word for water itself rather than the body of water it fills.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ὕδωρ is used in every register, from Thales's philosophical claim that water is the basic substance of the world to a simple request for a drink.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The word is attested across all periods and regions of Ancient Greek literature, from Homer onward.
How does it change in a sentence?
ὕδωρ declines irregularly: genitive ὕδατος (hydatos), dative ὕδατι, the stem changing from ὕδωρ to ὕδατ- outside the nominative.
How do you pronounce it?
ὕδωρ has a rough breathing at the start, pronounced with an initial h sound, close to 'HY-dor'.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Learners often try to apply a regular declension pattern to ὕδωρ before learning that its stem changes in the other cases.
When do people say it?
The philosopher Thales of Miletus famously argued that water was the fundamental substance underlying all of nature, one of the earliest recorded attempts at a scientific explanation of the world.
Did you know?
- The philosopher Thales of Miletus argued that water, ὕδωρ, was the single basic substance from which everything else in nature was made.
- The stem ὑδρ- from ὕδωρ lives on in English words such as 'hydrate', 'hydrogen' and 'hydraulic'.
Examples in context
- δός μοι ὕδωρ.dos moi hydor.Give me water.
- τὸ ὕδωρ ψυχρόν ἐστιν.to hydor psychron estin.The water is cold.
- πίνω ὕδωρ καθαρόν.pino hydor katharon.I drink clean water.
Example conversation
A traveler named Eudoros asks an innkeeper named Rhode for water.
- Eudorosἔχεις ὕδωρ ψυχρόν?echeis hydor psychron?Do you have cold water?
- Rhodeναί, ἰδοὺ τὸ ὕδωρ.nai, idou to hydor.Yes, here is the water.
- Eudorosχάριν ἔχω σοι.charin echo soi.I am grateful to you.
- Rhodeπίνε ἡσύχως.pine hesychos.Drink calmly.
