freshwater
freshwater — adjective
1. found in or linked to rivers, lakes, and streams where the water has no salt in
found in or linked to rivers, lakes, and streams where the water has no salt in it — unlike the salty ocean or sea.
Rin studies the freshwater fish that live in the streams near her village.
collocation: freshwater fish
The park contains a large freshwater lake where families go swimming in summer.
collocation: freshwater lake
Many freshwater plants cannot survive if the water becomes too salty.
Karim wrote a report on the freshwater ecosystems of Southeast Asia.
用法筆記
Attributive only — you can say 'a freshwater lake' but not ✱ 'the lake is freshwater'. When used predicatively, the two-word phrase 'fresh water' is preferred: 'the lake has fresh water in it.'
常見錯誤
freshwater — noun
1. rain, river, or lake water that has no salt in it — used by people for drinking,
rain, river, or lake water that has no salt in it — used by people for drinking, farming, and washing, as opposed to seawater.
The island has very little freshwater, so residents collect rainwater during the wet season.
Farmers in the valley depend on freshwater from the river to irrigate their rice fields.
collocation: freshwater from [source]
Sayaka filled several bottles with freshwater from the mountain spring.
Tara checked the map to find the nearest source of freshwater before setting up camp.
- drinking water
more specific — freshwater that is safe to drink; not all freshwater is drinkable
- sweet water
archaic term for freshwater, now rare
- salt water
water containing dissolved salt, as in oceans
- seawater
water from the sea specifically
用法筆記
As an uncountable noun, 'freshwater' takes a singular verb. It can also be written as two words ('fresh water') with no difference in meaning. The one-word form is becoming more common in scientific and journalistic writing.
常見錯誤
2. a lake, pond, river, or other area where the water has no salt in it — as distin
a lake, pond, river, or other area where the water has no salt in it — as distinct from an ocean or sea.
The map shows every major freshwater in the region, from small streams to large lakes.
This pond is the only freshwater within walking distance of the village.
used as countable noun
Renata spent the summer studying the freshwaters of northern Canada.
The pond behind Esteban's house is a small freshwater that dries up in late summer.
- inland water
broader term; includes salty inland lakes such as the Great Salt Lake
- water body
more general; does not specify salt content
用法筆記
Used most often in plural form ('freshwaters') when referring to multiple bodies of water in a region. In singular, it is commonly preceded by a determiner ('a freshwater', 'the only freshwater').