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littoral - 6 dictionary results

lit⋅to⋅ral

  [lit-er-uhl]
Use littoral in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of or pertaining to the shore of a lake, sea, or ocean.
2. (on ocean shores) of or pertaining to the biogeographic region between the sublittoral zone and the high-water line and sometimes including the supralittoral zone above the high-water line.
3. of or pertaining to the region of freshwater lake beds from the sublittoral zone up to and including damp areas on shore. Compare intertidal.
–noun
4. a littoral region.
Origin:
1650–60; < L littorālis, var. of lītorālis of the shore, equiv. to lītor- (s. of lītus) shore + -ālis -al 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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lit·to·ral   (lĭt'ər-əl)   
adj.  Of or on a shore, especially a seashore: a littoral property; the littoral biogeographic zone.
n.  
  1. A coastal region; a shore.
  2. The region or zone between the limits of high and low tides.

[Latin lītorālis, from lītus, lītor-, shore. N., from Italian littorale, from Latin lītorālis.]
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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Littoral

Lit"to*ral\, a. [L. littoralis, litoralis, from littus, litus, the seashore: cf. F. littoral.]

1. Of or pertaining to a shore, as of the sea.

2. (Biol.) Inhabiting the seashore, esp. the zone between high-water and low-water mark.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : littoral
Spanish: litoral,
German: die Küste,
Japanese: 海岸
More Translations »

littoral  (adj.)
1656, from L. littoralis "of or belonging to the seashore," from litus (gen. litoris) "seashore" (cf. Lido), of unknown origin. The noun is first recorded 1828, from It. littorale, originally an adj., from L. littoralis.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: lit·to·ral
Pronunciation: 'li-t&-r&l; "li-t&-'ral, -'räl
Function: adjective
: of, relating to, or being property abutting an ocean, sea, lake, or pond —compare RIPARIAN
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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littoral   (lĭt'ər-əl)  Pronunciation Key 
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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