sea
UK[siː]US[siː]
n
the salt water that covers most of the earth's surface and surrounds its continents and islands
n
a particular area of the sea
Etymology
The word 'sea' originates from the Old English 'sǣ', which referred to a large body of salt water, a lake, or even a pool. This term is of Proto-Germanic descent, stemming from 'saiwiz', which carried a similar meaning. The Proto-Germanic root is further traced back to the Proto-Indo-European 'móri', the source for words meaning 'sea' or 'lake' in other branches, such as Latin 'mare' (giving us 'marine') and Old Church Slavonic 'morje'. The semantic journey is direct, with the core concept of a large expanse of water remaining remarkably stable from its ancient roots to its modern, primary meaning of the vast oceanic body.
Analysis
The word 'sea' is a simplex word of Old English origin. It cannot be meaningfully segmented into smaller morphemes in modern English.
Examples
The ship sailed across the open sea.
We went for a swim in the sea.
The North Sea can be very rough in winter.