Definition of "wat"

Having at last got past the crowd of boats, we advanced rapidly for two hours more, when we stopped at a wat, in order to give the men a rest.

1857, Sir John Bowring, The kingdom and people of Siam, volume 1, page 165

Aside from its religious function in the community, the wat also performs a large variety of social functions.

1982, Carlo Caldarola, Religions and societies, Asia and the Middle East, page 379

It would be a mistake, however, to emphasize the Hindu element in Cambodian Buddhism and Cambodian temples. At its greatest it is always a subordinate element and in most of the wats or temples it hardly appears at all, […]

1996, James Bissett Pratt, The Pilgrimage of Buddhism and a Buddhist Pilgrimage, page 194

It is often possible to discern the motivation or importance of a wat by examining its name

1999, Steve Van Beek with Luca Invernizzi, The arts of Thailand, page 15

The ubosoth is in a small enclosure just before the main entrance to the wat, on the right, which has fine gilded doors. The wat has a small museum.

2003, Joshua Eliot with Jane Bickersteth, Thailand handbook, page 268