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When the word brackish first appeared in English in the 1500s, it simply meant "salty," as did its Dutch parent brak. (English speakers also adopted the synonymous brack from the same source but it gets very little use.) Then, as now, brackish was used to describe water that was a mixture of saltwater and freshwater, such as one encounters where a river meets the sea. Since that time, however, brackish has developed the additional meanings of "unpalatable" and "repulsive," presumably because of the oozy, mucky, and sometimes stinky (or stinkyish, if you prefer)—not just salty—qualities of coastal estuaries and swamps.
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Examples of brackish in a Sentence
Lisa Rapaport, EverydayHealth.com, 11 Oct. 2024
Zelda’s unburdened from expectation and free to explore — from the brackish waters shared by the Sea and River Zora to the deserts the exclusively-female Gerudo calls home (which Zelda, blessedly, doesn’t need to sneak into, as Link usually must!).
—James Perkins Mastromarino, NPR, 25 Sep. 2024
Preferring shallow, brackish waters, cownose rays often swim at the surface, reducing the risk of human encounters.
—Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
River otters are relatively common throughout Washington and can be found in fresh, brackish or saltwater habitats, according to the agency.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN, 14 Sep. 2024
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brackish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Brackish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brackish. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.
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brackish
adjective
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