littoral

1 of 2

adjective

lit·​to·​ral ˈli-tə-rəl 

ˌli-tə-ˈral,

-ˈräl

: of, relating to, or situated or growing on or near a shore especially of the sea

littoral waters

littoral

2 of 2

noun

: a coastal region

especially : the shore zone between high tide and low tide points

Did you know?

You're most likely to encounter littoral in contexts relating to the military and marine sciences. A littoral combat ship is a fast and easily maneuverable combat ship built for use in coastal waters. And in marine ecology, the littoral zone is a coastal zone characterized by abundant dissolved oxygen, sunlight, nutrients, and generally high wave energies and water motion. Littoral can also be found as a noun referring to a coastal region or, more technically, to the shore zone between the high tide and low tide points. The adjective is the older of the two, dating from the mid-17th century; the noun dates from the early 19th century. The word comes to English from Latin litoralis, itself from litor- or litus, meaning "seashore."

Synonyms

Adjective

• alongshore
• coastal
• inshore
• nearshore
• offshore
• shoreside

Examples of littoral in a Sentence

Adjective

littoral warfare includes amphibious landings

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

It is specialized in amphibious and littoral warfare operations, as well as having the capability of disrupting the enemy in a contested littoral environment. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024

The ship, named after the city of Beloit, Wisconsin, is the 15th Freedom-variant littoral combat ship commissioned in the United States Navy, according to a US Navy press release. —Dawn Sawyer, CNN, 24 Nov. 2024

Noun

Hailing from the peninsula’s steppe interior, mountainous east, and Black Sea littoral, this population tended to be devoutly Muslim and, for the most part, had never been fully at ease with the republic’s secularist founding project. —Soner Cagaptay, Foreign Affairs, 19 Feb. 2024

The massive polities of the Eurasian littoral had enough surplus worthy of stealing on the part of its rulers. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 24 June 2013

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Latin litoralis, from litor-, litus seashore

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1656, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1828, in the meaning defined above

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

littoral

1 of 2 adjective

lit·​to·​ral ˈlit-ə-rəl 

ˌlit-ə-ˈral,

-ˈräl

: of, relating to, or situated or growing on or near a shore (as of the sea)

littoral

2 of 2 noun

: a coastal region

Legal Definition

littoral

adjective

lit·​to·​ral ˈli-tə-rəl; ˌli-tə-ˈral, -ˈräl 

: of, relating to, or being property abutting an ocean, sea, lake, or pond compare riparian