In the title complex, {[Cu(C(12)H(12)O(4))(C(5)H(5)N)(2)]·H(2)O}(n), the Cu(II) ion lies on an inversion center and is coordinated by two O atoms from two 2,3,5,6-tetra-methyl-benzene-1,4-dicarboxyl-ate (TBDC) ligands and two N atoms from two pyridine ligands in a slightly distorted square-planar environment. The TBDC ligands act as bridging ligands, forming chains along [110]. These chains are further linked into a two-dimensional network via inter-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The solvent water mol-ecule lies on a twofold rotation axis.