noun
boiled drinking water
Archaic term for water that has been boiled for drinking; not used in modern Japanese outside of historical contexts.
昔の旅人は、煮御水を竹筒に入れて持ち歩いたという。
It is said that travelers long ago carried boiled drinking water in bamboo tubes.
Modern term for plain boiled water, commonly used today. 煮御水 is its archaic equivalent.
Compound of 煮 (ni, 'boil') + 御 (o, honorific prefix) + 水 (mi, 'water'), with a sound change from み to もい. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it reflects an old honorific term for boiled water.