brackish
BRAK-ish
/ˈbræk.ɪʃ/
Slightly salty, as is the mixture of river water and seawater in estuaries.
Specifically describes water that has higher salinity than fresh water, but less than sea water.
The story behind the word. Entered English in the late 16th century from Middle Dutch brak, used by coastal Dutch sailors to describe uncomfortable, semi-salty water near coastlines.
Word relationships
- semi-saline: Semi-saline is technical and clinical, while brackish is widely used in both descriptive prose and science.
- freshwater: Freshwater contains almost no dissolved salts.
Commonly confused with
- saline: Saline implies full ocean-level or higher salt concentration, whereas brackish is only moderately salty.
Word family
- brackishness (noun): The quality or state of being brackish.
Collocations
- brackish water
- brackish marsh
- brackish estuary
- brackish environment
Example sentences
- "Mangrove trees thrive in the brackish water where river fresh water meets ocean tides." Coastal ecology
Memory hook
BRACKISH water makes you gag: 'Yuck, BRACK!' Slightly salty mixed water.
When not to use
Do not use to describe fresh drinking water or fully concentrated ocean salt water.
Fun facts
- The Baltic Sea is the largest body of brackish water in the world, fed by dozens of rivers with a narrow ocean connection.
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