Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

estuary

Syllabification: (es·tu·ar·y)
Pronunciation: /ˈesCHo͞oˌerē/
Translate estuary | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of estuary

noun (plural estuaries)

  • the tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream.

Derivatives

estuarial

adjective

estuarine

adjective

Origin:

mid 16th century (denoting a tidal inlet of any size): from Latin aestuarium 'tidal part of a shore', from aestus 'tide'

Spelling help

Remember that estuary has -tua- in the middle.

Spelling rule

Make the plural of words that end in a consonant plus -y by changing the -y to -ies: (estuaries).

estuary in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of estuary in the British & World English dictionary
  |  Cite
Oxford Dictionaries Pro

For Oxford's best resources for writers, plus thesaurus, audio, and 1.9m examples.

Shop for an Oxford dictionary

Find the perfect Oxford dictionary for you in our online shop.
SHOP NOW ►

Word of the day

cur

/ kəː /
noun
an aggressive or unkempt dog …