Bodies of water such as seas, lakes, or rivers; can also refer to the amniotic fluid during pregnancy. The plural form often indicates territorial waters or large water masses.
From Old English 'wæter', related to Germanic and Indo-European roots meaning wet or water. The plural form developed to describe specific bodies of water or territorial boundaries, as in 'international waters'.
Water is one of the few substances we have different words for in its various states - ice, steam, vapor - yet 'waters' as a plural creates a poetic sense of multiple flowing bodies. The phrase 'test the waters' comes from literally testing water temperature before swimming.
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