Standard Lemma guide

wat

adv · det · name · noun · pron · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK, US: /wæ(ː)t/
  • rhymes with -æt
  • UK: /wat/
  • UK: /wɒt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: W AO1 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

Alternative spelling of what.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Internet, alt-of, alternative, informal, not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

det

Meaning 2

Alternative spelling of what.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Internet, alt-of, alternative, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

name

Meaning 3

A medieval English given name, short for Walter or from the Anglo-Saxon name Watt.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

name

Meaning 4

Abbreviation of Waterford.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of

Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, sports

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • There are two wats near this village.
  • Angkor Wat

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A kind of stew or curry eaten in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: cooking, food, lifestyle

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

pron

Meaning 7

Alternative spelling of what.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Internet, alt-of, alternative, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Variation of what, used for humorous effect.

Borrowed from Thai วัด (wát).

Borrowed from Amharic ወጥ (wäṭ).

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Burmese: ဝတ်ကျောင်း (watkyaung:) — Buddhist temple
  • Burmese: ဝက် (wak) — Buddhist temple
  • Chinese Mandarin: 佛寺 (fósì) — Buddhist temple
  • Chinese Mandarin: 寺院 (fóyuàn) — Buddhist temple
  • Chinese Mandarin: 漥寺 (wāsì) — Buddhist temple
  • Chinese Mandarin: 洼寺 (wāsì) — Buddhist temple
  • Czech: wat — Buddhist temple
  • Finnish: buddhalainen temppeli — Buddhist temple
  • Finnish: wat — Buddhist temple
  • Japanese: 寺院 (ji'in) — Buddhist temple
  • Japanese: ワット (watto) — Buddhist temple
  • Khmer: វត្ត (vŏət) — Buddhist temple
  • Korean: 와트 (wateu) — Buddhist temple
  • Korean: 사원 (sawon) — Buddhist temple
  • Lao: ວັດ (wat) — Buddhist temple
  • Lü: ᦞᧆ (vad) — Buddhist temple
  • Malay: wat — Buddhist temple
  • Nepali: वाट (wāṭ) — Buddhist temple
  • Portuguese: wat — Buddhist temple
  • Russian: ват (vat) — Buddhist temple
  • Spanish: templo budista — Buddhist temple
  • Thai: วัด (wát) — Buddhist temple
  • Tibetan: ལྷ་ཁང (lha khang) — Buddhist temple