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# freshwater

adjective (freshwater — no other forms); noun (fresh water, uncountable)

«freshwater» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Freshwater describes water that is not salty, like the water in most rivers, lakes, ponds and streams. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freshwater/#m1)
2. Freshwater animals and plants live in water that is not salty: a trout is a freshwater fish. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freshwater/#m2)
3. (noun, written as two words) Fresh water is water without salt that people, animals and plants can drink or use. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freshwater/#m3)

### In the lessons

In science and geography, freshwater is the opposite of saltwater (sea water). Pupils learn that only a tiny part of the water on Earth is fresh, and much of that is frozen in ice caps and glaciers, so we must save water. Habitats are sorted into freshwater (ponds, rivers, lakes) and marine (sea). In everyday life it comes up with fishing, aquariums and drinking water. Phrases: «freshwater fish», «freshwater lake», «freshwater habitat», «fresh water supply».

### Examples

- A pond is a freshwater habitat. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freshwater/#x1)
- Trout and perch are freshwater fish. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freshwater/#x2)
- Most of the Earth's fresh water is frozen in ice. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freshwater/#x3)
- We cannot drink sea water, we need fresh water. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freshwater/#x4)
- The freshwater crayfish hides under stones in the stream. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freshwater/#x5)
- Lake Superior is one of the biggest freshwater lakes in the world. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freshwater/#x6)
- Our class kept tadpoles in a freshwater tank. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freshwater/#x7)
- Frogs lay their eggs in freshwater ponds. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freshwater/#x8)

### Note

As an adjective before a noun it is one word: «a freshwater lake». As a noun phrase it is usually two words: «we need fresh water». Uncountable: «some fresh water», not «a fresh water». Fresh water is not always safe to drink — river water may carry germs. Opposite: saltwater, sea water, marine.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «freshwater» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/freshwater/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«freshwater» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/freshwater.html) on Mova free.