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REFERENCE

seawater

n. uncountable
B1 Intermediate US //ˈsiˌwɑtɝ// UK //sˈiːwɔːtɐ// sea·wa·ter

n. the salty water that you find in the ocean or sea.

n. the saline water found in oceans and seas, containing various dissolved minerals and salts. Typically used to distinguish ocean water from freshwater sources.


SIMPLE

You should not drink seawater because it is too salty.

CONTEXTUAL

The coastal village installed a desalination plant to turn seawater into clean drinking water for the residents.

COMPLEX

Marine biologists monitored the rising temperature of the seawater to determine its impact on the local coral reef's fragile ecosystem and the migration patterns of indigenous fish species.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English seewater, se water, from Old English sǣwæter (“seawater”), equivalent to sea + water. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Seewoater (“seawater”), West Frisian seewetter (“seawater”), Dutch zeewater (“seawater”), Icelandic sjóvatn (“seawater”).

Usage

Usually uncountable; the plural form 'seawaters' is rare and typically limited to scientific or poetic contexts referring to different bodies of water.

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