Freshwaters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Natural water environments possessing minimal salt content, usually represented by rivers and lakes
2. Ecosystems consisting of non-saline bodies of water, including streams, ponds, and various lakes
3. Bodies of water such as lakes, rivers, and streams that contain little to no salt

Etymology: The idea behind "freshwater" is older than the English compound itself: the adjective "fresh" comes from Old English "fersc," which carried the sense of not salted, and it was joined to "water" in Middle English as "freshe water" or "fresshe water." The compound was built from two words that had long meant exactly what they say, so there is no hidden metaphor here, only a plain pairing of an old adjective with an old noun. "Freshwaters" is the plural of "freshwater," used when speakers mean several distinct bodies of such water, such as lakes, rivers, and streams taken together. The plural form is a straightforward inflection of the noun, and it is the usual way to refer to inland water as a category in contrast with the sea.

Synonyms: non-saline waters, lakes, rivers, ponds, streams