estuary
noun
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A partly enclosed coastal body of water in which river water is mixed with seawater is called an estuary. An estuary is thus defined by salinity rather than geography. Many coastal features designated by other names are in fact estuaries (for instance, Chesapeake Bay). Some of the oldest continuous civilizations have flourished in estuarine environments (for example, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the Nile delta, and the Ganges delta). Cities such as London (Thames River), New York (Hudson River), and Montreal (St. Lawrence River) developed on estuaries and became important commercial centers.
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Examples of estuary in a Sentence
Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
Flashback: The Tampa Bay estuary was once full of oysters, but as droves of people moved to the area over the last century, developers dredged the shellfish from the bay to be used for infrastructure like roads, Plage said.
—Kathryn Varn, Axios, 7 Jan. 2025
Advertisement The surrounding Redwoods National and State Parks include miles of trails and coastline north and south of the Klamath River estuary, including the rocky coastal view from High Bluff Overlook.
—Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2025
Some areas of the estuary are diked to allow for farming, which means water no longer flows in or out with the tides.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Estuary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/estuary. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.
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estuary
noun
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