littoral
[ lit-er-uh l ]
/ ˈlɪt ər əl /
adjective
of or relating to the shore of a lake, sea, or ocean.
(on ocean shores) of or relating to the biogeographic region between the sublittoral zone and the high-water line and sometimes including the supralittoral zone above the high-water line.
of or relating to the region of freshwater lake beds from the sublittoral zone up to and including damp areas on shore.
Compare intertidal.
noun
a littoral region.
Origin of littoral
1650–60; < Latin
littorālis, variant of
lītorālis of the shore, equivalent to
lītor- (stem of
lītus) shore +
-ālis
-al1
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH littoral
literal littoralWords nearby littoral
littler,
littlest,
littleton,
littlewood,
littlie,
littoral,
littoral warfare,
littoria,
littre's hernia,
littré,
littérateur
Example sentences from the Web for littoral
British Dictionary definitions for littoral
littoral
/ (ˈlɪtərəl) /
adjective
of or relating to the shore of a sea, lake, or ocean
biology
inhabiting the shore of a sea or lake or the shallow waters near the shore
littoral fauna
noun
a coastal or shore region
Word Origin for littoral
C17: from Late Latin
littorālis, from
lītorālis, from
lītus shore
Scientific definitions for littoral
littoral
[ lĭt′ər-əl ]
Relating to the coastal zone between the limits of high and low tides. The littoral zone is subject to a wide range of environmental conditions, including high-energy wave action and intermittent periods of flooding and drying along with the associated fluctuations in exposure to solar radiation and extremes of temperature. Compare sublittoral.