littoral

[ lit-er-uhl ]

/ ˈlɪt ər əl /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: littoral / littorals on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of or relating to the shore of a lake, sea, or ocean.

(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.

of or relating to the region of freshwater lake beds from the sublittoral zone up to and including damp areas on shore.Compare intertidal.

noun

a littoral region.

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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; see -al¹; cf. Lido, lido

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH littoral

literal, littoral

Words nearby littoral

little woman, Little Women, Littlewood, littlie, Litt.M., littoral, littoral warfare, Littoria, Littré, Littre's hernia, lit up

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use littoral in a sentence

ASW assets and crews have been diverted to reconnaissance missions in overland and littoral wars.
Tomorrow’s Stealthy Subs Could Sink America’s Navy|Bill Sweetman|May 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the real winners here are not likely to be the largely suburban masses but a new, heavily urban littoral ruling class.
The Last Patrician: Romney Falls From Favor as America Loses Faith in Old Money|Joel Kotkin|January 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The new Divisions will find the Mudros littoral on arrival better prepared for their reception than it was a month ago.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Mexican national life has not developed much upon the littoral.
Mexico|Charles Reginald Enock

And fine as it is on the strong coast, it is beautiful on the weak littoral and the imperilled levels of a northern beach.
Ceres' Runaway|Alice Meynell
Nor would it be easy to imagine, from the point of view of defense, either a bay of littoral with greater natural advantages.
The Heroic Record of the British Navy|Archibald Hurd
In general, the main strife may be said to have been waged between the provinces of the littoral and those of the Far West.
South America|W. H. Koebel

British Dictionary definitions for littoral

littoral

/ (ˈlɪtərəl) /

adjective

of or relating to the shore of a sea, lake, or ocean

biology inhabiting the shore of a sea or lake or the shallow waters near the shorelittoral fauna

noun

a coastal or shore region

Word Origin for littoral

C17: from Late Latin littorālis, from lītorālis, from lītus shore

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 littoral

littoral

[ lĭt′ər-əl ]

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. Compare sublittoral.

littoral

Origin of littoral

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH littoral

Words nearby littoral

Words related to littoral

How to use littoral in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for littoral

Word Origin for littoral

Scientific definitions for littoral