riparian
adjective
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Riparian came to English from the same source that gave us "river"—the Latin riparius, a noun deriving from ripa, meaning "bank" or "shore." First appearing in English in the 19th century, "riparian" refers to things that exist alongside a river (such as riparian wetlands, habitats, trees, etc.). Some river communities have laws called "riparian rights," referring to the rights of those owning land along a river to have access to the waterway. Note the distinction of this word from "littoral," which usually refers to things that occur along the shore of a sea or ocean.
Examples of riparian in a Sentence
Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 June 2024
Visitors will also find a variety of habitats on this hike, traveling along riparian streams and grassy hillsides.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2024
Federal money will help Date Creek Bosque The U.S. Forest Service will work with Arizona and private land owners to help preserve 647 acres on what's known as the Date Creek Bosque, a riparian area on the edge of the Sonoran and Mojave deserts in southwestern Yavapai County.
—Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 13 May 2024
Crystal Cove State Park also has 18 miles of trails that go through riparian woodlands and have beautiful ocean views.
—Catherine Garcia, theweek, 8 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for riparian 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'riparian.' 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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Cite this Entry
“Riparian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riparian. Accessed 16 Jun. 2024.
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riparian
adjective
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