brackish

[ brak-ish ]

/ ˈbræk ɪʃ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR brackish ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having a slightly salty or briny flavor.

distasteful; unpleasant.

RELATED WORDS

briny, saline, salty, salted, saltish

Nearby words

Origin of brackish

1530–40; < Dutch brak salty + -ish¹

Related formsbrack·ish·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for brackish

Tortured with thirst, they would occasionally break ranks pell-mell at the sight of water; but as a rule they found it brackish.
The War With Mexico, Volume I (of 2)|Justin H. Smith
The ring-neck, and, in fact, the red-head are much more common on these waters than on the salt or brackish marshes.
Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast|Harry Thom Payne
An aqueduct from Chapultepec brought fresh water, as the lake was brackish.
Mexico|Susan Hale
Ugh—what the devil would you do in those damnable sickly gutters—floundering about in the brackish ditchwater?
When We Dead Awaken|Henrik Ibsen

But it was brackish and the men should not have touched it, for it made them worse.
The Seventh Manchesters|S. J. Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for brackish

brackish

/ (ˈbrækɪʃ) /

adjective

(of water) slightly briny or salty

Derived Formsbrackishness, noun

Word Origin for brackish

C16: from Middle Dutch brac salty; see -ish

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

Word Origin and History for brackish

brackish

adj.

1530s, from Scottish brack "salty" (see brack) + -ish. Related: Brackishness.

Science definitions for brackish

brackish

[ brăk′ĭsh ]

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