# sea

> English word · Noun · IPA /siː/ · frequency rank #933

## Definitions
1. A large body of salt water.
2. A large body of salt water.
3. A large body of salt water.
4. A lake, especially if large or if salty or brackish.
5. A single wave; billow.
6. The swell of the sea, especially when high or rough.
7. Living or used in or on the sea; of, near, or like the sea.
8. Anything resembling the vastness or turbulence of the sea in mass, size or quantity.
9. A constant flux of gluons splitting into quarks, which annihilate to produce further gluons.
10. A large, dark plain of rock; a mare.
11. A very large lake of liquid hydrocarbon.

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English see, from Old English sǣ, from Proto-West Germanic *saiwi (“body of water”), from Proto-Germanic *saiwiz, itself either:
* Derived from Proto-Indo-European *sh₂ey-wo- (“to be fierce, afflict”). Related to Latin saevus (“wild, fierce”), Tocharian B saiwe (“itch”), and Latvian sievs, sīvs (“sharp, biting”). More at sore.
* Derived from Proto-Germanic *sīhwaną (“to percolate, filter”), from Proto-Indo-European *seykʷ-.
Cognates
Cognate with Yola zea, zee (“sea”), North Frisian See, sia, siie (“sea; lake”), Saterland Frisian See, Säi (“sea”), West Frisian see (“sea”), Cimbrian, Mòcheno sea (“lake”), Dutch zee (“sea”), German, German Low German See (“sea”), Limburgish Sië, zieë (“sea, ocean; lake”), Luxembourgish Séi (“lake”), West Flemish zji (“sea; seaside”), Danish sø (“sea; lake”), Faroese sjógvur (“sea; big wave”), Icelandic sjár, sjór, sær (“sea”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk sjø (“sea, ocean; lake”), Swedish sjö (“sea; lake; big wave”), Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃 (saiws, “lake, sea; marshland”).

## Easily confused with
- **so** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sea-vs-so)
- **SI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sea-vs-si)
- **SS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sea-vs-ss)
- **SP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sea-vs-sp)
- **su** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sea-vs-su)
- **sf** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sea-vs-sf)
- **sh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sea-vs-sh)
- **SM** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sea-vs-sm)
- **SW** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sea-vs-sw)
- **SL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sea-vs-sl)
- **SG** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sea-vs-sg)
- **SK** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sea-vs-sk)
- **SV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sea-vs-sv)
- **SJ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sea-vs-sj)
- **Sy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sea-vs-sy)
- **she** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sea-vs-she)
- **see** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sea-vs-see)
- **set** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sea-vs-set)
- **six** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sea-vs-six)
- **son** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sea-vs-son)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/sea