aqua
1 Americannoun
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-.
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
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.
Next season’s salary cap is projected to be just above $300 million—and the Dolphins may be dedicating around two-thirds of that to players no longer wearing aqua on Sundays.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 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
First Anthony began to layer vanilla scents on to his preferred smoky, aqua, woody fragrances.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025
The parents of an 11-year-old girl who drowned at an aqua park have called for tighter regulations so other families do not have to "bury their children".
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2025
The frame was a clear ocean aqua, with the crank arms for the pedals and the handlebars painted pale yellow.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
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.
