brackish

American  

[brak-ish] / ˈbræk ɪʃ /

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.

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brackish British  

/ ˈbrækɪʃ /

adjective

1. (of water) slightly briny or salty

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brackish Scientific  

/ brăk′ĭsh /

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

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Other Word Forms

• brackishness noun

Etymology

Origin of brackish

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

Example Sentences

I spent most of the voyage bent double over a puke bucket, bringing up every scrap of food and swallow of brackish water I choked down.

From Literature

And I didn’t think about the alligators or the disgusting layer of brackish algae.

From Literature

“Look at this,” she said, and I saw that it was half filled with a brackish, brown liquid.

From Literature

They hurried down the boardwalk and then slipped into brackish waters, wading until they reached one of the old mansions that filled the area.

From Literature

My sensitivity to the world around me made me soak all its suffering like a sponge soaking brackish water.

From Literature