eau

9.8

Water in French that people often use in product names like eau de toilette

noun
/oʊ/

: agua

Some restaurants serve chilled eau in elegant glass bottles.

Examples

The label on the perfume read 'eau de toilette', indicating a light fragrance.
He ordered a bottle of sparkling eau with his meal.
She ordered a glass of eau.
The eau served at the restaurant was refreshing.
The French restaurant offers a refreshing eau to complement its dishes.
She prefers a fruit-flavored eau instead of soda during meals.
At the tasting event, we sampled several brands of flavored eau that were quite popular.

Compounds

eau de cologne

1 5.3

A light scented liquid that people put on their skin to smell pleasant

eau de toilette

1 7.2

A light perfume with a milder scent than regular perfume

eau de vie

1 9.9

A clear strong alcoholic drink made from fruit juice that has turned into alcohol

eau de cologne mint

8.4

A mint plant with leaves that smell of fresh citrus and that people use in cooking and for scent

eau de Javelle

Archaic

9.9

A liquid bleach used to whiten clothes and clean surfaces

Surface Forms

eau singular

eaux plural

Etymology

The word eau is the French word for 'water'. It comes from the old Latin aqua, the same root you see in English words like aquarium and aquatic. So when you see eau on a label like eau de toilette, it usually means a 'water' or light 'water-based' product.