wody

Wody is a Polish noun meaning waters or bodies of water. It is the plural form of woda and is used to refer to multiple bodies of water or to water as a collective substance. In scientific, environmental, and geographic contexts, wody appears in terms such as wody powierzchniowe (surface waters), wody podziemne (groundwater), wody morskie (sea waters), and wody mineralne (mineral waters). In everyday usage, it can also function as a generic reference to water resources.

Etymology: Wody derives from Proto-Slavic *voda and is cognate with other Slavic words for water, such as Russian voda and Czech voda. The root appears across languages and is present in Polish words like wodny (water-related) and related forms.

Grammatical note: Woda is a feminine noun; wody is the nominative plural as well as the genitive singular. The standard full declension is: singular—N woda, G wody, D wodzie, A wodę, I wodą, L wodzie, V wodo. Plural—N wody, G wód, D wodom, A wody, I wodami, L wodach, V wody.

See also: water, hydrology, Polish language.