stenohaline

American

[sten-uh-hal-ahyn, -hey-lahyn] / ˌstɛn əˈhæl aɪn, -ˈheɪ laɪn /

adjective

(of an aquatic organism) unable to withstand wide variation in salinity of the surrounding water.

stenohaline British

/ -laɪn, ˌstɛnəʊˈheɪliːn /

adjective

(of certain aquatic animals) able to exist only within a narrow range of salinity Compare euryhaline

"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

Etymology

Origin of stenohaline

First recorded in 1925–30; steno- ( def. ) + Greek hálinos “made of or from salt”; see salt ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Organisms such as goldfish that can tolerate only a relatively narrow range of salinity are referred to as stenohaline.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023