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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
Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
Bacteria emerging from the brackish water of the Ganges River delta are believed to be the origin of six of the seven cholera pandemics that have washed over the globe the past 200 years, killing tens of millions of people, stoking fear and panic, and inspiring novels and movies.
—Bymartin Enserink, science.org, 6 Feb. 2025
Vulnerable to the brackish, stormy water of the Caspian, parts of the city are crumbling.
—Laura Paddison, CNN, 6 Nov. 2024
Growing problem in West Texas requires complex solution In arid West Texas, water seeps and bubbles from old wells, sometimes carrying oil, brackish water or other pollutants to the surface.
—Alejandra Martinez The Texas Tribune, arkansasonline.com, 9 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Brackish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brackish. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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brackish
adjective
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