riparian
playDefinition of riparian
: relating to or living or located on the bank of a natural watercourse (as a river) or sometimes of a lake or a tidewater <riparian trees>
Did You Know?
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.
Origin and Etymology of riparian
Latin riparius — more at river
First Known Use: circa 1841
Other Geology Terms
anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale
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