ur
/uɾ/
The Basque word for water is ur.
ur is the noun used to refer to the inorganic compound H₂O.
Meaning: inorganic compound H₂O (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/uɾ/
Did you know?
- Because Basque is a language isolate, the word ur has no known linguistic relatives in any other language family in the world, making it a true linguistic island.
- The Basque word for 'waterfall', ur-jauziak, literally translates to 'water-jump', imagining the water as leaping downward.
- Because the origins of ur are unknown, some linguists believe it is a 'substrate' word, meaning it existed in the region before even the earliest recorded Basque ancestors arrived.
Examples in context
- Laylak ur asko edan zuen.Layla drank a lot of water.This sentence shows how to use ur when talking about drinking.Tatoeba #6077365 by Mireen10, translation #6076749 by OsoHombre
- Ur-molekula batek bi hidrogeno atomo eta oxigeno atomo bat ditu.A water molecule has two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.This sentence uses ur in a scientific context regarding a water molecule.Tatoeba #3372157 by eneko, translation #270937 by CK
- Uretako botila bat daukazu?Do you have any bottled water?
- Ur freskoa edan nahi dut.I want to drink fresh water.
Example conversation
Gaizka and Ane are hiking and feeling thirsty.
- GaizkaUr dutifula duten al dute?Do they have any water?
- AneEz, baina nik ur pixka bat dut.No, but I have a little bit of water.
- GaizkaEskerrik asko, Ane!Thank you, Ane!
- AneEzorik ez, Gaizka.You're welcome, Gaizka.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “water” translations and entries ur, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
