brackish
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
The coffee was brackish and stale.
adjective
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Bull sharks thrive in warm, brackish water, which most other sharks flee," she told the BBC.
From BBC
McNulty believes heavy rainfall over the weekend and brackish water conditions could have created a "perfect storm environment" for Sunday's attack.
From BBC
Genetic and physical analyses confirmed that the species belongs to the genus Diplolaimelloides, a group typically found in coastal marine and brackish waters.
From Science Daily
As freshwater input grew, the seaway gradually changed from salty to brackish and eventually to mostly freshwater, similar to conditions seen today in the Gulf of Bothnia.
From Science Daily
Just outside the city, it is pumping brackish groundwater from wells and discharging it into the Nueces River, which flows into a water treatment plant.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
