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When the word brackish first appeared in English in the 1500s, it simply meant "salty," as did its Dutch parent brak. (English speakers also adopted the synonymous brack from the same source but it gets very little use.) Then, as now, brackish was used to describe water that was a mixture of saltwater and freshwater, such as one encounters where a river meets the sea. Since that time, however, brackish has developed the additional meanings of "unpalatable" and "repulsive," presumably because of the oozy, mucky, and sometimes stinky (or stinkyish, if you prefer)—not just salty—qualities of coastal estuaries and swamps.
Examples of brackish in a Sentence
Lydia Mansel, Southern Living, 25 July 2025
If your open wounds and cuts could come in contact with salt water, brackish water or raw or undercooked seafood, cover them with a waterproof bandage.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 23 July 2025
The bacteria is found in saltwater, brackish water and inside contaminated raw or undercooked seafood.
—Joyce Orlando, Nashville Tennessean, 21 July 2025
Vibrio bacteria can creep in open wounds after spending time in salty or brackish water, said Dr. Norman Beatty, an infectious disease doctor at University of Florida Health.
—Shreya Srinivasan, NBC news, 19 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Brackish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brackish. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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brackish
adjective
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