littoral

views updated Jun 11 2018

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

views updated May 17 2018

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

views updated May 17 2018

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

views updated May 29 2018

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

views updated May 21 2018

littoral Pertaining to the shore, from the Latin litus, meaning ‘shore’ and litoralis, ‘of the shore’.

littoral

views updated May 21 2018

littoral Pertaining to the sea-shore.