brackish

[ brak-ish ]

adjective

1. somewhat salty or briny, as the water in an estuary or salt marsh, which is not as salty as the sea but saltier than a river:

   These brackish swamps are some of the state’s most important ecosystems.

2. distasteful; unpleasant:

   The coffee was brackish and stale.

brackish

/ ˈbrækɪʃ /

adjective

1. (of water) slightly briny or salty

brackish

/ brăk′ĭsh /

1. Containing a mixture of seawater and fresh water. Brackish water is somewhat salty.

Derived Forms

• ˈbrackishness, noun

Other Words From

• brack·ish·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of brackish¹

First recorded in 1550–60; from Dutch brak “salty” + -ish ¹ (in the sense “somewhat”)

Word History and Origins

Origin of brackish¹

C16: from Middle Dutch brac salty; see -ish

Example Sentences

The biologically-diverse, brackish ecosystems are idyllic for birdwatching, kayaking, and fishing—a secret discovery zone set just off from the beaches.

From Outside Online

In particular, as blue power plants mix fresh and salty water, they discharge something in between called brackish water.

From Popular-Science

Its mix of fresh, brackish and salt water — together with mostly moderate winds and temperatures — makes it a magnet for sailors and fishermen.

From Washington Post

With their luxuriant canopies and pillar-like roots extending deep into brackish water, mangroves provide shelter for small fish and help clean coasts.

From Washington Post

All the ancient, fishy lamprey larvae were found in saltwater environments, Miyashita says, from brackish lakes to lagoons to offshore river deltas.

From Popular-Science

A brackish breeze blew off the Black Sea, mixing with rotting garbage, human sweat, cheap cleaning products, and undefined fumes.

From The Daily Beast

I am bored to death, to extinction; my thoughts are the colour of that water which flows over yonder, brackish and heavy.

From Project Gutenberg

This animal is fond of brackish water, therefore he most commonly inhabits those rivers which border on the sea.

From Project Gutenberg

Captain Stirling examined them both: the former to its source, the latter beyond the point where the water ceased to be brackish.

From Project Gutenberg

They were marooned on a desert island with practically nothing to eat and nothing but brackish swamp water to drink.

From Project Gutenberg

Often the only water they had to drink was supplied by "brackish" ponds, whose surface was covered with greenish slime.

From Project Gutenberg