Word of the Day

: April 21, 2007

riparian

adjective ruh-PAIR-ee-un

What It Means

: 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 in Context

Residents of the riparian community learned to brace themselves for a flood whenever torrential rain was forecast.

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.