littoral
lit·to·ral / ˈlitərəl/ • adj. of, relating to, or situated on the shore of the sea or a lake: the littoral states of the Indian Ocean. ∎ Ecol. of, relating to, or denoting the zone of the seashore between high- and low-water marks, or the zone near a lake shore with rooted vegetation: limpets and other littoral mollusks.• n. a region lying along a shore: irrigated regions of the Mediterranean littoral. ∎ Ecol. the littoral zone.
littoral
littoral Applied to the shallow-water regions of aquatic ecosystems in which rooted plants occur and light penetrates to the bed. In the marine littoral zone periodic exposure and submersion by tides is usual; in Britain it is defined as the upper limit of periwinkles (Littorina). Compare EULITTORAL.
littoral
littoral Designating or occurring in the marginal shallow-water zone of a sea or lake, especially (in the sea) between high and low tide lines. In this zone enough light penetrates to the bottom to support rooted aquatic plants. Compare profundal; sublittoral.
littoral
littoral adj. pert. to the shore XVII. sb. region along the shore XIX. — L. littorālis, var. of lītorālis, f. lītus, lītor- shore; see -AL1.
littoral
littoral Pertaining to the shore, from the Latin litus, meaning ‘shore’ and litoralis, ‘of the shore’.
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