Etymology

drinkwater

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Today it means: Potable water; water intended for drinking Full definition →

Middle English drinkwater
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drinkwater · noun, adjective1

  1. Middle English · inherited fromdrinkwater
  2. English todaydrinkwater

From Middle English drinkwater (attested as a nickname), equivalent to drink + water. Compare Saterland Frisian Drinkwoater (“drinkwater”), West Frisian drinkwetter (“drinkwater”), Dutch drinkwater (“drinkwater”), German Low German Drinkwater (“drinkwater”), German Trinkwasser (“drinkwater”).

Drinkwater · proper noun2

From drink + water, a nickname given to a pauper or miser, unable or unwilling to afford beer; or alternatively, a nickname given to an innkeeper or a noted tippler.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.