semiaquatic

American  

[sem-ee-uh-kwat-ik, -kwot-, sem-ahy-] / ˌsɛm i əˈkwæt ɪk, -ˈkwɒt-, ˌsɛm aɪ- /

adjective

Botany, Zoology.

1. partly aquatic; growing or living in or close to water, or carrying out part of its life cycle in water.

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semiaquatic British  

/ ˌsɛmɪəˈkwætɪk /

adjective

1. (of organisms, esp plants) occurring close to the water and sometimes within it

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semiaquatic Scientific  

/ sĕm′ē-ə-kwăt′ĭk /

1. Adapted for living or growing in or near water, but not entirely aquatic.

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Etymology

Origin of semiaquatic

First recorded in 1825–35; semi- + aquatic

Explanation

Semiaquatic describes plants or animals that live in or close to the water at least part of the time. Crocodiles are semiaquatic animals, as they spend a lot of time in water but also frequently come onto land. Semiaquatic is closely related to amphibious, which describes animals, like toads and salamanders, that spend the early stages of their lives in water and much of their adult lives on land. However, the term semiaquatic also refers to plants and animals that mix it up during their whole lives. You might see birds like ducks and geese swimming in a pond or grazing in a field. Semiaquatic plants like mangrove trees, which grow along tropical coastlines, need both land and water to survive.

Example Sentences

It was a crew of semiaquatic rodents whose wetland-building skills have seen them gain popularity as a natural way to mitigate wildfires.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2024

This research finding casts doubt on prevailing wisdom that slow growth in living crocodiles is linked to the evolution of their sedentary, semiaquatic lifestyles.

From Science Daily • Sep. 20, 2023

The question was: Would it be possible to introduce a small population of these semiaquatic rodents somewhere like Prospect Park?

From Slate • Aug. 31, 2023

The team found that there is a threshold between semiaquatic and fully aquatic species, and once that threshold has been passed, the aquatic adaptations are irreversible.

From Scientific American • Jul. 17, 2023

He dispatched an army of collectors to the shores of Lake Calumet, where they gathered twenty-seven traincar loads of iris, sedge, bulrush, and other semiaquatic plants and grasses.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson