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estuary

 - 4 dictionary results

es⋅tu⋅ar⋅y

  [es-choo-er-ee]
Use estuary in a Sentence
–noun, plural -ar⋅ies.
1. that part of the mouth or lower course of a river in which the river's current meets the sea's tide.
2. an arm or inlet of the sea at the lower end of a river.
Origin:
1530–40; < L aestuārium channel, creek, inlet, equiv. to aestu(s) tide + -ārium -ary

Related forms:
es⋅tu⋅ar⋅i⋅al  [es-choo-air-ee-uhl] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To estuary
es·tu·ar·y   (ěs'chōō-ěr'ē)   
n.   pl. es·tu·ar·ies

  1. The part of the wide lower course of a river where its current is met by the tides.

  2. An arm of the sea that extends inland to meet the mouth of a river.


[Latin aestuārium, from aestus, tide, surge, heat.]
es'tu·ar'i·al (-âr'ē-əl) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

estuary [(es-chooh-er-ee)]

A wide body of water formed where a large river meets the sea. It contains both fresh and salt water.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

estuary 
1538, from L. æstuarium "a tidal marsh or opening," from æstus "boiling (of the sea), tide, heat."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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