Why is water wet?

Question

Why is water wet?

Answer 1

It sounds like a silly question, but there a non-wetting liquids.  One that stands out is mercury metal.

Water is wet because it is polar (and exhibits hydrogen bonding) and has a high affinity for other substances which is why (not only is it wetting) but it exhibits capillary action and has a high surface tension.

It's interesting that there are situations where water doesn't wet the surface.  The best example is your freshly waxed car hood.  Here water has a greater affinity for itself (hydrogen bonding again and high surface tension) than it does for the wax (nonpolar) on the car, and so the water beads up and does not wet the surface.