littoral
Americanadjective
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of or relating to the shore of a lake, sea, or ocean.
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(on ocean shores) of or relating to the biogeographic region between the sublittoral zone and the high-water line and sometimes including the supralittoral zone above the high-water line.
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of or relating to the region of freshwater lake beds from the sublittoral zone up to and including damp areas on shore.
noun
adjective
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of or relating to the shore of a sea, lake, or ocean
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biology inhabiting the shore of a sea or lake or the shallow waters near the shore
littoral fauna
noun
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012-
Relating to the coastal zone between the limits of high and low tides. The littoral zone is subject to a wide range of environmental conditions, including high-energy wave action and intermittent periods of flooding and drying along with the associated fluctuations in exposure to solar radiation and extremes of temperature.
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Compare sublittoral
Etymology
Origin of littoral
First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin littorālis, variant of lītorālis “of the shore,” equivalent to lītor- (stem of lītus ) “shore” + -ālis, adjective suffix; -al 1 ( def. ); Lido ( def. ), lido ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One version of the craft, known as a littoral combat ship, had propulsion problems.
From Seattle Times
Plans for the drills — scheduled for after Pelosi’s departure — covered areas within the 12-nautical-mile littoral zone that Taiwan claims as its territorial waters.
From Washington Post
Three of the six exclusion areas encroach on the 12-nautical-mile littoral zone that Taiwan claims as its territorial waters.
From Washington Post
Its speedy littoral combat ships have had propulsion problems, leading to early retirements.
From Seattle Times
They also underlined a pledge not to offer the territory of their nations for aggression against another littoral country.
From Seattle Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
