Word of the Day

: May 2, 2007

brackish

adjective BRACK-ish

What It Means

1 : somewhat salty

2 a : not appealing to the taste

b : repulsive

brackish in Context

Water is often brackish and undrinkable at points where freshwater rivers flow into the sea.

Did You Know?

When the word "brackish" first appeared in English in the 1500s, it simply meant "salty," as did its Dutch ancestor "brak." Then, as now, brackish water could simply be a mixture of saltwater and freshwater. Since that time, however, "brackish" has developed the additional meanings of "unpalatable" or "distasteful" -- presumably because of the undrinkable quality of saltwater. "The brackish water that we drink / Creeps with a loathsome slime, / And the bitter bread they weigh in scales / Is full of chalk and lime." As this use from Oscar Wilde's "Ballad of Reading Gaol" illustrates, brackish water can also include things other than salt that make it unpleasant to drink.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.