: any of the waters (as lakes, canals, rivers, watercourses, inlets, and bays) within the territory of a state as contrasted with the open seas or marginal waters bordering another state subject to various sovereign rights of the bordering state—usually used in plural
2
: water of the interior that does not border upon marginal or high seas or is above the rise and fall of the tides—usually used in plural compare marginal sea, territorial sea, territorial water
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