semiaquatic
semiaquatic — adjective
- semiaquaticpositive
- more semiaquaticcomparative
- most semiaquaticsuperlative
1. used of animals or plants whose lifestyle regularly includes both dry land and f
used of animals or plants whose lifestyle regularly includes both dry land and fresh or salt water — for instance, a beaver swimming across a river and then walking along the riverbank to find trees to cut down.
Beavers are semiaquatic animals that build dams across rivers and raise young in riverbank lodges.
noun collocation: semiaquatic animals
A semiaquatic platypus hunts insects in streams and rests in a burrow on the bank.
Mangroves are semiaquatic trees with roots part under water and part in the air.
Luca pointed at a semiaquatic turtle climbing onto a sun-warmed rock by the lake.
This semiaquatic frog hides in ponds by day and hunts insects on land at night.
- amphibious
strongly associated with animals that undergo metamorphosis (tadpole → frog); 'semiaquatic' is broader and includes mammals, reptiles, birds, and plants
- water-loving
informal, not a precise scientific term; suggests preference for water rather than regular dual-habitat life
- terrestrial
describes organisms that live entirely on land
- aquatic
describes organisms that live entirely in water
用法筆記
The term is most common in biology and ecology writing. It applies to both animals and plants but not to manufactured objects (a waterproof phone is not 'semiaquatic').