wat

See also: WAT, Wat, wät, wát, and Wät

English

Wat Chai Watthanaram

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Thai วัด (wát).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /wat/, /wɒt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

wat (plural wats)

1. A Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia, especially those in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.

   There are two wats near this village.

   Angkor Wat

   • 1857, Sir John Bowring, The kingdom and people of Siam, volume 1, page 165:

     Having at last got past the crowd of boats, we advanced rapidly for two hours more, when we stopped at a wat, in order to give the men a rest.

   • 1982, Carlo Caldarola, Religions and societies, Asia and the Middle East, page 379:

     Aside from its religious function in the community, the wat also performs a large variety of social functions.

   • 1996, James Bissett Pratt, The Pilgrimage of Buddhism and a Buddhist Pilgrimage, page 194:

     It would be a mistake, however, to emphasize the Hindu element in Cambodian Buddhism and Cambodian temples. At its greatest it is always a subordinate element and in most of the wats or temples it hardly appears at all, […]

   • 1999, Steve Van Beek with Luca Invernizzi, The arts of Thailand, page 15:

     It is often possible to discern the motivation or importance of a wat by examining its name

   • 2003, Joshua Eliot with Jane Bickersteth, Thailand handbook, page 268:

     The ubosoth is in a small enclosure just before the main entrance to the wat, on the right, which has fine gilded doors. The wat has a small museum.

Translations

Buddhist temple

• Burmese: ဝတ်ကျောင်း (my) (watkyaung:), ဝက် (my) (wak)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 佛寺 (zh) (fósì), 寺院 (zh) (fóyuàn), 漥寺 (wāsì), 洼寺 (wāsì)

• Czech: wat (cs) m
• Dzongkha: please add this translation if you can
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: buddhalainen temppeli, wat (fi)
• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Isan: please add this translation if you can
• Japanese: 寺院 (ja) (じいん, ji'in), ワット (ja) (watto)
• Khmer: វត្ត (km) (vŏət)
• Korean: 와트 (wateu), 사원(寺院) (ko) (sawon)
• Lao: ວັດ (lo) (wat)
• Lü: ᦞᧆ (vad)
• Malay: wat (ms)
• Nepali: वाट (wāṭ)
• Northern Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Portuguese: wat m
• Russian: ват (ru) m (vat)
• Shan: please add this translation if you can
• Sinhalese: please add this translation if you can
• Southern Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: templo budista m
• Thai: วัด (th) (wát)
• Tibetan: ལྷ་ཁང (lha khang)
• Zhuang: please add this translation if you can

See also

• chedi
• pagoda
• stupa
• wat on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 2

Borrowing from Amharic ወጥ (wäṭ).

Noun

wat

1. (cooking) A kind of stew or curry eaten in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
   • [1987 July 29, Steven Barboza, “Culinary Delights of Africa Reflect a Continent's Diversity”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     In Ethiopia, a volcanic pepper and spice seasoning, berbere, is widely used, and the stews called wats are eaten with a spongy flat bread, injera.]

Etymology 3

Variation of what, used for humorous effect.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /wæ(ː)t/
• Rhymes: -æt

Pronoun

wat

1. (informal, Internet, text messaging) Alternative spelling of what

Adverb

wat (not comparable)

1. (informal, Internet, text messaging) Alternative spelling of what

Determiner

wat

1. (informal, Internet, text messaging) Alternative spelling of what

Anagrams

• ATW, AWT, TWA, Taw, Twa, WTA, taw

A-Pucikwar

Etymology

From Proto-Great Andamanese *wat.

Noun

wat

1. bat
2. flying fox

References

• Juliette Blevins, Linguistic clues to Andamanese pre-history: Understanding the North-South divide, pg. 20 (2009)

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch wat, from Middle Dutch wat, from Old Dutch wat, from Proto-Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷód, *kʷod.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vat/

• Audio:

  (file)

Pronoun

wat

1. (interrogative, non-personal) what

   Coordinate term: (personal) wie

   Wat het julle gedrink? ― What did you guys drink?

2. (relative, personal and non-personal, subject and object) who, whom, which, that

   die man wat hier woon ― the man who lives here

   die huis wat ons gebou het ― the house that we built

3. (relative, personal and non-personal, with preposition stranding) who, which, that

   Synonyms: (without stranding) waar-, (personal only) wie

   die meisie wat ek mee gedans het ― the girl who I danced with

   die maatskappy wat ek voor gewerk het ― the company that I worked for

4. (relative, non-personal, before se) whose, of which

   Coordinate term: (personal) wie

   die land wat se president afgetree het ― the country whose president stepped down

Related terms

• watter

See also

Afrikaans interrogative and relative pronouns
		interrogative		relative
		personal	other	personal	other
subject / object		wie	wat	wat
possessive		wie se	wat se	wie se	wat se
with preposition	prepositioned	met wie	met wat	met wie	—
	stranded		wat ... mee	wat … mee
	adverbial		waarmee	waarmee

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch wat, from Old Dutch wat, from Proto-West Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷód, *kʷod, compare West Frisian wat, English what, German was, Danish hvad.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʋɑt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: wat
• Rhymes: -ɑt
• Homophones: wad, watt

Pronoun

wat

1. (interrogative) what: e.g. (1) asking for a subject complement; (2) asking for a sentence object

   (1) Wat is dat? — What is that?

   (2) Wat wil je doen? — What do you want to do?

2. (relative) what: e.g. (1) as the object of a sentence; (2) ditto

   (1) Ik weet niet wat ik wil doen. — I don't know what I want to do.

   (2) Jij moet afblijven van wat jij daar ziet. — You must not touch what you see there.

3. (relative) that: e.g. (1) modifying an indefinite pronoun like iets, niets, alles or het enige; (2) modifying an adjective that is used as a noun, usually a superlative

   (1) Geef mij maar alles wat eetbaar is. — Please give me everything that is edible.

   (2) Het duurste wat er was. — The most expensive that there was.

4. (relative) which: e.g. (1) modifying the demonstrative pronouns dat and datgene; (2) referring back to an entire sentence

   (1) Hij nam precies datgene wat ik had gewild — He took exactly that which I had wanted.

   (2) Jantje deed het in z’n broek, wat zijn moeder in verlegenheid bracht. — John did it in his pants, which embarrassed his mother

5. (indefinite) something: e.g. (1) as subject; (2) as subject complement

   (1) Daar loopt wat rond. — Something there is walking around.

   (2) Dat is aardig wat! — That is quite something! [i.e. "That is quite a lot!"]

Usage notes

This pronoun can combine with a preposition to form a pronominal adverb. When this occurs, it is changed into its adverbial/locative counterpart waar. See also Category:Dutch pronominal adverbs.

A subclause following the relative pronoun wat is in SOV order.

Descendants

• Berbice Creole Dutch: wa, wati
• Javindo: wat
• Jersey Dutch: wāt, wot
• Negerhollands: wat, awa, wa
• Petjo: wat
• Skepi Creole Dutch: what

Determiner

wat

1. some

   Ik wil graag wat kersen. ― I want some cherries please.

2. (exclamative) what (a), such

   Wat een onzin! ― What nonsense!

Usage notes

With uncountable, or countable nouns.

Adverb

wat

1. a bit, somewhat

   Synonyms: een beetje, een tikkeltje

   Hij doet dat wat onbedachtzaam. ― He does that somewhat unthoughtfully.

2. (exclamative) how, so

   Wat leuk! ― How nice!

German

Etymology

A regional form adopted into colloquial standard German. In western Germany from Central Franconian wat, from northern Middle High German wat, from northern Old High German hwat, an unshifted relict form possibly due to Frankish influence. In northern Germany from German Low German wat, from Middle Low German wat, from Old Saxon hwat. Doublet of was.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vat/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophone: Watt
• Rhymes: -at

Pronoun

wat

1. (colloquial, regional) alternative form of was

   Wat überlegste?

   What are you thinking?

Usage notes

• Although found in the native lects throughout northern and western Germany, the use of wat in colloquial standard German is most typical of the West (chiefly North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate). It is also heard in some parts of northern and north-eastern Germany, e.g. in and around Berlin. In all these regions, the forms wat and was are used in free variation.

Further reading

• http://www.atlas-alltagssprache.de/runde-1/f17a-c/

Luxembourgish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vaːt/ (stressed)
• IPA^(key): /vɑt/ (unstressed)
• Rhymes: -aːt, -ɑt

Pronoun

wat

1. (interrogative) what

   Wat ass däin Numm?

   What is your name?

2. (relative) what

   Ech weess net, wat ech maache soll.

   I don't know what I should do.

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch wat, from Proto-Germanic *hwat.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wat/

Pronoun

wat

1. what

Descendants

• Afrikaans: wat
• Dutch: wat
• Limburgish: waat

Further reading

• “wat (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “wat (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I

Middle English

Etymology 1

Uncertain; possibly from wight.

Noun

wāt

1. A person.

Etymology 2

Uncertain.

Noun

wat

1. A rabbit.
2. A hare.

Etymology 3

See entries.

Verb

wat

1. Alternative form of wait, wath, wet, what, whate, whete, witen, wode, wold, woth, weten, wacche, wacchen, wachet, watchinges, wate, walte, weiten, witien.

References

• Middle English Dictionary, "wāt n.1", "wat n.2", & "wat".

Middle Low German

Etymology

From Old Saxon hwat, from Proto-Germanic *hwat.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wat/

Pronoun

wat (accusative wēne or wen, dative wēme or wem, genitive wes)

1. (interrogative, neuter) what

North Frisian

Etymology 1

From Old Frisian hwet, from Proto-West Germanic *hwat.

Pronoun

wat (Föhr-Amrum, Sylt, Mooring)

1. what (which thing)

Etymology 2

From Old Frisian wit, from Proto-West Germanic *wit.

Pronoun

wat (dated on Sylt, elsewhere obsolete)

1. we two, the two of us (first-person dual personal pronoun)

See also

Personal and possessive pronouns (Sylt dialect)

		personal				possessive
		subject case		object case		singular referent	plural referent
		full	reduced	full	reduced		attributive	independent
singular	1st	ik	'k	mi		min		minen
	2nd	dü	–	di		din		dinen
	3rd m.	hi	'r	höm	'n	sin		sinen
	3rd f.	jü	's	höör	's	höör		höören
	3rd n.	hat	et, 't	höm	et, 't	sin		sinen
dual	1st	wat		unk				unken
	2nd	at		junk				junken
	3rd	jat		jam	's	jaar		jaaren
plural	1st	wü		üüs				üüsen
	2nd	i		juu				juuen
	3rd	ja	's	jam	's	jaar		jaaren
notes		The reduced forms with an apostrophe are enclitic; they immediately follow verbs or conjunctions. Dü is deleted altogether in such contexts. Et is not enclitic and can stand in any unstressed position; the full subject form hat is now rarely used. In reflexive use, only full object forms occur. The dual forms are dated, but not obsolete as in other dialects. Independent possessives are distinguished from attributive ones only with plural referents.

Old Dutch

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *hwat.

Pronoun

wat

1. what

Descendants

• Middle Dutch: wat
  • Afrikaans: wat
  • Dutch: wat
  • Limburgish: waat

Further reading

• “wat”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wɑːt/

Verb

wāt

1. first/third-person singular present of witan

Old High German

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *wadą, whence also Old English wæd, Old Norse vað (Icelandic vað).

Noun

wat n

1. ford

Declension

Declension of wat (neuter a-stem)

case	singular	plural
nominative	wat	wat
accusative	wat	wat
genitive	wates	wato
dative	wate	watum
instrumental	watu	—

Descendants

• Middle High German: *wat, *wate (perhaps)
  • German: Wate f (dialectal; may also be deverbal)

References

1. Köbler, Gerhard, Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, (6. Auflage) 2014

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvat/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -at
• Syllabification: wat
• Homophones: VAT, Wat, WAT

Etymology 1

Named after Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist James Watt.

Noun

wat m inan

1. watt (derived unit of power)

Usage notes

The alternative, colloquial genitive plural form wat is proscribed.

Declension

Declension of wat

	singular	plural
nominative	wat	waty
genitive	wata	watów
dative	watowi	watom
accusative	wat	waty
instrumental	watem	watami
locative	wacie	watach
vocative	wacie	waty

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

wat f

1. genitive plural of wata

Further reading

• wat in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• wat in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈwa.t͡ʃi/, /ˈwat͡ʃ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈwa.t͡ʃi/, /ˈwat͡ʃ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈwat͡ʃ/, /ˈwa.t͡ʃi/

Noun

wat m (plural wats)

1. wat (a type of Buddhist temple common in Southeast Asia)

Scots

Etymology

Related to wet.

Adjective

wat (comparative mair wat, superlative maist wat)

1. drunk

Transylvanian Saxon

Adverb

wat

1. what (interrogative)

Vilamovian

wat (1)

Etymology

Dutch watten

Noun

wat f

1. cotton wool

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian hwet, from Proto-West Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷód.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɔt/

Pronoun

wat

1. what (interrogative)

   Wat sizze hja?

   What are they saying?

2. what (relative)

Further reading

• “wat”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011