saltwater
adj.adj. describing water that contains salt, like the water found in oceans and seas. You use this to talk about animals or plants that live in the ocean.
adj. consisting of or relating to water that contains a significant concentration of dissolved salts, typically found in oceans and seas. Often used to distinguish marine species or environments from freshwater ones.
Sharks are saltwater fish.
The coastal town struggled to maintain its infrastructure because the saltwater air caused metal pipes to rust quickly.
Biologists noted that while some species can survive in brackish estuaries, the majority of these organisms are strictly adapted to a saltwater environment and cannot tolerate low salinity levels.
From Middle English saltwater, salte water, equivalent to salt + water. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Soaltwoater (“saltwater”), West Frisian sâltwetter (“saltwater”), Dutch zoutwater (“saltwater”), German Low German Soltwater (“saltwater”), German Salzwasser (“saltwater”), Danish saltvand (“saltwater”), Swedish saltvatten (“saltwater”), Icelandic saltvatn (“saltwater”).
Typically used attributively before a noun.