Describing water that is saltier than freshwater but less salty than seawater, typically found in estuaries and coastal areas. Brackish water usually contains 0.5 to 30 parts per thousand of dissolved salts.
From Dutch 'brak' meaning 'salty' or 'briny,' which entered English in the 16th century. The word originally described any slightly salty water that was unfit for drinking, evolving to its current technical meaning in ecology and hydrology.
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