marine

[muh-reen]

adjective

1. of or relating to the sea; existing in or produced by the sea.

   marine vegetation.

2. pertaining to navigation or shipping; nautical; naval; maritime.

3. serving on shipboard, as soldiers.

4. of or belonging to the marines.

5. adapted for use at sea.

   a marine barometer.

noun

1. a member of the U.S. Marine Corps.

2. one of a class of naval troops serving both on shipboard and on land.

3. seagoing ships collectively, especially with reference to nationality or class; shipping in general.

4. a picture with a marine subject; seascape.

5. naval affairs, or the department of a government, as in France, having to do with such affairs.

marine

/ məˈriːn /

adjective

1. of, found in, or relating to the sea

2. of or relating to shipping, navigation, etc

3. of or relating to a body of seagoing troops

   marine corps

4. of or relating to a government department concerned with maritime affairs

5. used or adapted for use at sea

   a marine camera

noun

1. shipping and navigation in general

   the merchant marine

2. (capital when part of a name) a member of a marine corps or similar body

3. a picture of a ship, seascape, etc

4. informal,  an expression of disbelief

marine

1. Relating to the sea.

2. Relating to a system of open-ocean and unprotected coastal habitats, characterized by exposure to wave action, tidal fluctuation, and ocean currents and by the absence of trees, shrubs, or emergent vegetation. Water in the marine system is at or near the full salinity of seawater.

3. Compare lacustrine palustrine riverine

Other Word Forms

• intermarine adjective
• nonmarine adjective
• semimarine adjective
• supermarine adjective
• unmarine adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of marine¹

1325–75; Middle English maryne < Middle French marin (feminine marine ) < Latin marīnus of the sea, derivative of mare sea; -ine ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of marine¹

C15: from Old French marin, from Latin marīnus, from mare sea

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. dead marine, an empty bottle of beer or spirits.

2. tell it / that to the marines! I don't believe your story; I refuse to be fooled.

Example Sentences

The deepest marine vertebrate life filmed before this expedition was at 8,336m - a snailfish that was filmed swimming in a deep ocean trench off the coast of Japan in 2023.

From BBC

She uses marine collagen, the type derived from fish, in a tropical-flavoured gel she drinks every day.

From BBC

Port officials and a marine terminal operator began construction on an expansion project at the Port of Long Beach despite a decline in port activity.

From Los Angeles Times

A global agreement designed to protect the world's oceans and reverse damage to marine life is set to become international law.

From BBC

Police said the probe involves specialist resources, police dogs, air support and the dive and marine unit.

From BBC

Related Words

• aquatic 
• coastal 
• deep-sea 
• maritime 
• naval 
• saltwater 
• seagoing