eau
French, noun/o/
eau is spelled E-A-U (3 letters) and appears 288 times per million words in written French, the 290th most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Eau is a French feminine noun meaning “water, a liquid that is transparent, colorless, odorless, and tasteless in its pure form, the primary constituent of lakes, rivers, seas…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Liquide transparent, incolore, inodore et insipide à l’état pur, qui est le principal constituant des lacs…”.
What does eau mean in English?
noun
- 1
femininewater, a liquid that is transparent, colorless, odorless, and tasteless in its pure form, the primary constituent of lakes, rivers, seas, and oceans
Il buvait un verre d’eau fraîche.
- 2
feminineIn particular, rain
Si le vent dure, nous aurons de l’eau.
- 3
femininethe chemical compound with molecular formula H₂O existing in the form of ice, liquid water or steam
L’eau se durcit par le froid et se vaporise par la chaleur.
- 4
feminineNatural liquid quantities or expanses
Le soir, ils se baignaient dans les eaux du lac Titicaca.
- 5
feminineFluids such as sweat, formed and found in the body of man or animal
Les vésicatoires font des ampoules pleines d’eau.
suffix
- 1
masculineforms diminutive masculine nouns, especially with the sense "young animal"
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Liquide transparent, incolore, inodore et insipide à l’état pur, qui est le principal constituant des lacs, rivières, mers et océans. 2. Pluie. 3. Corps composé de formule brute H₂O existant surtout sous forme de glace, d’eau liquide ou de vapeur, mais aussi d’eau de constitution. 4. Quantités ou étendues liquides naturelles.
suffix: 1. Suffixe diminutif nominal. 2. Diminutif de noms masculins d’animaux. 3. Diminutif de noms masculins de personnes. 4. Diminutif masculin de noms masculins d’objets dans les domaines.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of eau
- eaux plural
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce eau?
- /o/
- \o\
- [o]
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to eau
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is eau in French?
eau appears 288 times per million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).