Definition of BRACKISH

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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.

Examples of brackish in a Sentence

the office coffee is often some brackish brew that's been sitting around for a couple of hours the river becomes brackish as we approach the tidemark

Recent Examples on the Web

Still, gators—who prefer freshwater marshes and swamps, but can also thrive in the brackish Glades—are the more plentiful species. — Tyler Moss, Condé Nast Traveler, "8 Best Places to See Wildlife in the U.S.," 23 Apr. 2018 And water siphoned off the Sacramento River in the northern delta would be fresher than what’s pumped now from the more brackish southern region. — George Skelton, latimes.com, "What do Southern Californians really get out of Gov. Jerry Brown's twin tunnels project?," 12 July 2018 Those with open wounds are encouraged by the New Jersey Health Department to avoid brackish water, according to WPVI. — Josh Magness, miamiherald, "Flesh-eating bacteria may cost a man all his limbs. He got it while crabbing, family says," 10 July 2018 The brackish places where rivers meet seas are also a prime habitat for Vibrio. — Cleve Wootson, chicagotribune.com, "A man went crabbing - and came back with flesh-eating bacteria that now threaten his life," 10 July 2018 Vibrio infections can be caused by ingestion of water or shellfish that contain the bacteria, or by direct skin exposure to Vibrio-containing salt or brackish water. — Scott Dance, baltimoresun.com, "Marylanders warned to avoid Venezuelan crab meat after nine sickened by Vibrio bacteria," 7 July 2018 This part of the state, at the border of Taylor and Price counties, is kind of like brackish water, in land form. — Chelsey Lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin's highest point - Timm's Hill - is a quiet escape away from everything," 5 July 2018 Deuel Vocational Institution draws water from brackish wells on its grounds and runs it through a two-step treatment process before providing it 2,300 inmates and 1,000 employees for drinking or for showers. — Adam Ashton, sacbee, "Bottled water tab at a California prison has hit $46,000 a month," 2 July 2018 The result: Fresh water turned brackish, which turned to salt water, killing the marshes and eroding the land, creating more areas of open water that encroached farther and farther inland, allowing even more salt water to flow in. — Gena Somra, CNN, "Louisiana's shrinking marshes signal the loss of a way of life," 6 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'brackish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.