semiaquatic

adjective

semi·​aquat·​ic ˌse-mē-ə-ˈkwä-tik 

-ˈkwa-,

ˌse-ˌmī-,

-mi-

: growing equally well in or adjacent to water

also : frequenting but not living wholly in water

Examples of semiaquatic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In addition to dozens of fossils of aquatic or semiaquatic animals, the Zhenghe Fauna collection, as it’s referred to, includes at least three fossils so far that belong to the group including birds and their closest relatives. —Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 13 Feb. 2025

The human tongue, the powerful buckteeth that never stopped growing, the giant muscular haunches and posterior, and these dark-colored paws, partly webbed because the capybara is a semiaquatic creature. —Gary Shteyngart, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025

Pumpkin can get up on her hind legs, her little black semiaquatic paws pressed to her chest, to get a treat, and is able to spin around on command. —Gary Shteyngart, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025

These aquatic, semiaquatic or terrestrial creatures are easily recognized thanks to their bony, cartilaginous shells and slow-pace movements. —Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for semiaquatic

• antibiotic
• antipsychotic
• antithrombotic
• epizootic
• homoerotic
• psychoneurotic
• unpatriotic
• xenobiotic
• abiotic
• aeronautic
• apoptotic
• asymptotic

Kids Definition

semiaquatic

adjective

semi·​aquat·​ic ˌsem-ē-ə-ˈkwät-ik 

ˌsem-ˌī-,

-ˈkwat-

: growing well in or very near water

also : living near and often entering water but not living in it