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littoral

 - 4 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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Word Origin & History

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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Legal Dictionary

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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