brackish
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.
distasteful; unpleasant: The coffee was brackish and stale.
Origin of brackish
1Other words from brackish
- brack·ish·ness, noun
Words Nearby brackish
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use brackish in a sentence
The biologically-diverse, brackish ecosystems are idyllic for birdwatching, kayaking, and fishing—a secret discovery zone set just off from the beaches.
In particular, as blue power plants mix fresh and salty water, they discharge something in between called brackish water.
Estuaries could power us to a low-carbon future | Claire Maldarelli | June 23, 2021 | Popular-ScienceIts mix of fresh, brackish and salt water — together with mostly moderate winds and temperatures — makes it a magnet for sailors and fishermen.
How Earth’s tumultuous history gave the Mid-Atlantic its beloved destinations | Walter Nicklin | June 4, 2021 | Washington PostWith their luxuriant canopies and pillar-like roots extending deep into brackish water, mangroves provide shelter for small fish and help clean coasts.
Humanity’s greatest ally against climate change is the Earth itself | Sarah Kaplan | April 22, 2021 | Washington PostAll the ancient, fishy lamprey larvae were found in saltwater environments, Miyashita says, from brackish lakes to lagoons to offshore river deltas.
These fossilized lamprey hatchlings disprove an age-old evolutionary theory | Philip Kiefer | March 11, 2021 | Popular-Science
A brackish breeze blew off the Black Sea, mixing with rotting garbage, human sweat, cheap cleaning products, and undefined fumes.
I am bored to death, to extinction; my thoughts are the colour of that water which flows over yonder, brackish and heavy.
The Nabob | Alphonse DaudetThis animal is fond of brackish water, therefore he most commonly inhabits those rivers which border on the sea.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10) | Georges Louis Leclerc de BuffonCaptain Stirling examined them both: the former to its source, the latter beyond the point where the water ceased to be brackish.
They were marooned on a desert island with practically nothing to eat and nothing but brackish swamp water to drink.
South American Fights and Fighters | Cyrus Townsend BradyOften the only water they had to drink was supplied by "brackish" ponds, whose surface was covered with greenish slime.
The Blue and The Gray | A. R. White
British Dictionary definitions for brackish
/ (ˈbrækɪʃ) /
(of water) slightly briny or salty
Origin of brackish
1Derived forms of brackish
- brackishness, 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
Scientific definitions for brackish
[ brăk′ĭsh ]
Containing a mixture of seawater and fresh water. Brackish water is somewhat salty.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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