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#209383 - 02/04/13 01:14 AM Looking for a verb...
dan144 stranger Registered: 05/02/06 Posts: 3	Hi, In talking about the size of the reservoir in New York's Central Park, my friends and I couldn't seem to find the correct verb to describe what a reservoir does for a city. What is the verb for "to provide with a drink". E.g. "The farm feeds the city, the reservoir _____s the city". Hydrates is close, but it's only for water. Is there a nonspecific verb in English for this action? Any ideas? Thanks, Dan G.
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#209390 - 02/04/13 06:24 AM Re: Looking for a verb... [Re: dan144]
Faldage Carpal Tunnel Registered: 12/01/00 Posts: 13657	Provides the city with drinking water.
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#209391 - 02/04/13 08:58 AM Re: Looking for a verb... [Re: dan144]
Jackie Carpal Tunnel Registered: 03/15/00 Posts: 11579 Loc: Louisville, Kentucky	You feed and water livestock; I'd just say the farm feeds it and the reservoir waters it. My first thought was a bit less mundane: sustains; but that is not specific to water...except that without water we can't live.
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#209392 - 02/04/13 10:18 AM Re: Looking for a verb... [Re: dan144]
jenny jenny addict Registered: 06/05/10 Posts: 620 Loc: Lower Aberdeen, Mississippi	Hey Dan144, the word construction you seek might best be created rather than dug up... pluviates: verb ex. ...upon measured release pent up rainwater in the reservoir pluviates the thirsty city. ___________________________________________________ pluvial (adj.) 1650s, "pertaining to rain," from French pluvial (12c.), from Latin pluvialis "pertaining to rain, rainy, rain-bringing," from (aqua) pluvia "rain (water)," from fem. of pluvius "rainy," from plovere "to rain," from PIE root *pleu- "to flow, to swim" (cf. Sanskrit plavate "navigates, swims;" Greek plynein "to wash," plein "to navigate," ploein "to float, swim," plotos "floating, navigable;" Armenian luanam "I wash;" Old English flowan "to flow;" Old Church Slavonic plovo "to flow, navigate;" Lithuanian pilu, pilti "to pour out," plauju, plauti "to swim, rinse").
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#209396 - 02/04/13 12:48 PM Re: Looking for a verb... [Re: jenny jenny]
tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Registered: 04/03/00 Posts: 10464 Loc: this too shall pass	I agree with Jackie here: water - to give a drink of water to (an animal); also, to take (cattle) to the water to drink pluviate sounds too narrow, related to rainwater: you might pluviate your cattle, but I don't think you'd want to pluviate your cat or dog.
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#209399 - 02/04/13 01:25 PM Re: Looking for a verb... [Re: tsuwm]
BranShea Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/23/06 Posts: 5249 Loc: Netherlands, the Hague	Also Agree with Jackie. Simple and covers the whole thing.
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#209404 - 02/04/13 08:28 PM Re: Looking for a verb... [Re: dan144]
Faldage Carpal Tunnel Registered: 12/01/00 Posts: 13657	I dunno. Water doesn't sound right for supplying water to a city. You can water an animal or your lawn or the crops, but it doesn't really work for anything else. I say just go with my original suggestion. You don't always need a single word for some concept. And coming up with some word special for the occasion just doesn't work if you expect your language to communicate. Use it and someone is just going to ask you what it means. You'll probably say, "supply water to the city."
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#209408 - 02/04/13 09:54 PM Re: Looking for a verb... [Re: Faldage]
olly old hand Registered: 12/18/06 Posts: 932 Loc: Auckland, New Zealand	Supplies
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#209409 - 02/04/13 10:31 PM Re: Looking for a verb... [Re: Faldage]
tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Registered: 04/03/00 Posts: 10464 Loc: this too shall pass	I dunno too.. you can water your plants, water your lawn and your garden.. and evidently someone of an occasion thought to write, "Currently, only 20 per cent of the water pumped from the Tucson basin to water the city is being replaced by rainwater." [New Scientist - May 28, 1987]
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#209410 - 02/05/13 05:51 AM Re: Looking for a verb... [Re: dan144]
BranShea Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/23/06 Posts: 5249 Loc: Netherlands, the Hague	'The farm feeds the city' is a simplification because there is a lot more to it. Likewise I think one coùld use 'the reservoir waters the city' in the same oversymplificated way. But do you really need this single word?
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