aqua
aqua
1 American
[ak-wuh, ah-kwuh]
/ ˈæk wə, ˈɑ kwə /
aqua-
2
American
aqua
British
/ ˈækwə /
noun
adjective
Usage
What does aqua- mean? Aqua- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “water.” It is occasionally used in a variety of scientific and technical terms. Aquia comes from Latin aqua, meaning “water.” The Greek translation is hýdōr, meaning “water,” which is the source of such combining forms as hydro-. What are variants of aqua-?In some terms, aqua- becomes aqui-, as in aquifer, from French aquifère. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article on aqui-.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of aqua1
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin: water
Origin of aqua-2
Probably originally attributive use of aqua, or generalized from words in which it is etymologically the head noun of a phrase, as aquamarine, aquatint
Explanation
Aqua is a greenish-blue color, often thought of as the shade of water. When you buy a new blender, you might decide that the aqua one will brighten up your kitchen. Aqua is pretty close to the color known as cyan, almost exactly halfway between green and blue on the color spectrum. You can buy aqua clothing or aqua paint if you love the color and want your dining room to feel cool and colorful. The word aqua is sometimes also used to mean "water," and in fact the Latin root means "water, the sea, or rain."
Vocabulary lists containing aqua
Blue
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Elements of the Universe: Aqua ("Water")
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Scrabble: Four-Letter Words with 3 Vowels
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But that was before the Miami Grand Prix moved in—before the artificial marina, the aqua chicane or the race weekends that packed in 275,000 fans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
“We use dumbbells like you’d use at the gym,” Porciuncula says, “not those inflatable ones or foam ones, plus weighted medicine balls, kickboards, paddles and other aqua resistance equipment.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2026
Eateries in Italy, Denmark and the U.K. offer their own aqua explorations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2025
He said aqua parks needed to be more tightly governed, adding he and Ms Parker wanted to protect other parents from the "torment" of losing a child.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2025
She was wearing an outfit of red plaids, lavender stripes, and aqua polka dots that she had matched herself.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
The artificer keeps in hand two aquae, one of which is stronger than the other; the stronger is used at first, then the less strong, then at the last again the stronger.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola
Who can trace the filum aquae of the most erratic and arrogant river in all the world?
From The Law of the Land by Emerson Hough
The Spanish army encamped, says Guicciardini, "in a place called by Livy, from its vicinity to Sessa, aquae Sinuessanae, being perhaps the marshes in which Marius hid himself."
From The History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic — Volume 3 by William Hickling Prescott
It is aquae vitae, water of life, or water that hath a health and life in it.
From Works of John Bunyan — Volume 03 by John Bunyan
Ac, however, does not at all correspond to the well-known corruptions of aquae still found in the names of places in France where the Romans constructed baths.
From Wanderings by southern waters, eastern Aquitaine by Edward Harrison Barker
Merchants paused selling piñatas, street food and aquas frescas to take photos of the runners and cheer them on.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2025
If you like a calming effect, choose soothing aquas, limes and mints.
From Washington Post ● May 4, 2016
The bright aquas and greens are also gender-neutral for friends and cousins of both boys and girls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2015
If the New York shows seemed to be advertising a white sale, London was an orgy of neon pinks and oranges, acid yellows and cool aquas.
From New York Times ● Sep. 22, 2010
The principal verb is tenebat, the subject ille, and the object aquas; so translate:— He used to stay the running waters by his song.
From Helps to Latin Translation at Sight by Edmund Luce
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
