Waterborne means carried by water. You meet it in two quite different worlds.

Waterborne means carried by waterWaterborne意思是由水傳播、由水帶著走的。You meet it in two quite different worlds你會在兩個完全不同的領域碰到這個字。

The first, and by far the more common, is health. A waterborne disease is one that spreads through water people drink or wash in — cholera, typhoid, dysentery, many kinds of diarrhoea. The water looks clean, but it is carrying the germs from one person to the next. After a flood or an earthquake, when pipes break and clean water runs short, aid workers immediately start worrying about waterborne illness, and that is the phrase you will read in the news.

The first, and by far the more common, is health第一個，也是遠遠更常見的領域，是衛生醫療。A waterborne disease is one that spreads through water people drink or wash inA waterborne disease（水媒傳染病）是透過人喝或洗滌用的水傳播的疾病 — cholera, typhoid, dysentery, many kinds of diarrhoea像霍亂、傷寒、痢疾，還有很多種腹瀉。The water looks clean, but it is carrying the germs from one person to the next水看起來很乾淨，卻正把病菌從一個人帶到下一個人身上。After a flood or an earthquake, when pipes break and clean water runs short在水災或地震後，水管破裂、乾淨的水變得不夠時, aid workers immediately start worrying about waterborne illness救援人員會立刻開始擔心水媒疾病, and that is the phrase you will read in the news而這正是你會在新聞裡讀到的說法。

You can also say waterborne bacteria, waterborne parasites, waterborne pollution. The second world is transport and shipping, where waterborne simply means travelling on water: waterborne freight, waterborne trade, a waterborne patrol. This use is formal and rather technical — a shipping report or a government document, not a conversation.

You can also say waterborne bacteria, waterborne parasites, waterborne pollution你也可以說waterborne bacteria（水媒細菌）、waterborne parasites（水媒寄生蟲）、waterborne pollution（水媒污染）。The second world is transport and shipping第二個領域是運輸和航運, where waterborne simply means travelling on water在這裡waterborne單純指「在水上移動的」: waterborne freight, waterborne trade, a waterborne patrol像waterborne freight（水運貨物）、waterborne trade（水運貿易）、a waterborne patrol（水上巡邏）。This use is formal and rather technical這種用法很正式、也偏技術性 — a shipping report or a government document, not a conversation常見於航運報告或政府文件，不是日常對話。

There is a third, smaller use worth knowing if you ever buy paint: a 'waterborne' paint or coating is one where the colour is carried in water rather than in a chemical solvent, so it smells less and you can clean your brush in the sink. The word sits in a small family of `-borne` words that all work the same way: airborne (carried by air), bloodborne (carried by blood), foodborne (carried by food). Once you see the pattern, all of them open at once.

There is a third, smaller use worth knowing if you ever buy paint如果你買過油漆，還有第三種比較小眾、但值得知道的用法: a 'waterborne' paint or coating is one where the colour is carried in water rather than in a chemical solvent'waterborne'（水性）的油漆或塗料，指的是顏色是溶在水裡而不是化學溶劑裡, so it smells less and you can clean your brush in the sink所以味道比較淡，而且可以直接在水槽裡洗刷子。The word sits in a small family of `-borne` words that all work the same way這個字屬於一小群用法一樣的`-borne`字家族: airborne (carried by air), bloodborne (carried by blood), foodborne (carried by food)像airborne（空氣傳播的）、bloodborne（血液傳播的）、foodborne（食物傳播的）。Once you see the pattern, all of them open at once一旦你看懂這個規律，這些字就會一次全部打開。