Water is Wet

Whether or not water is wet may seem like a trivial and ridiculous question, but that is only because of the lack of sensible debate it has been subject to. The question “Is Water Wet?” is indeed answerable, and as demonstrated below, water is inherently wet.

“Wetness” is a word that has no simple definition. If a human can be wet, “wetness” would be defined as the physical feeling of moisture. But if objects can be wet as well—which they can—then “wetness” has to do with the placement of liquid upon an object, regardless of that object’s ability to feel the moisture.

For water to be wet, it would have to be considered an object, defined as having the ability to be manipulated, and able to interact with other objects. Water does have this ability, since it can be held in a cup, rest on a flat surface, even hold other objects such as boats. Water’s viscosity can be deceiving, yet its innate qualities render it an object.

In conclusion, water can be “wet” due to another liquid. The only remaining question is whether water can wet itself. This question is difficult to answer and requires a definition of water. The most straightforward definition is that water is a collection of two or more H2O molecules. The fluid qualities deriving from these molecules cause water to be a liquid, while also retaining the properties of an object.

When water is placed upon water, both components of water wet each other. When this logic is applied to the molecular level, it can be extrapolated that all water is inherently wet due to the interactions between the individual molecules of H2O.

It is thus the intrinsic values of water that make it wet.