littoral

/ˈlɪtərəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈlɪtərəl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈli-tə-rəl ˌli-tə-ˈral, -ˈräl/ (ame, mw) · /ˈlɪt.ər.əl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈlɪt̬.ər.əl/ (ame, ipa)

littoral — 形容詞

  • littoralpositive
  • more littoralcomparative
  • most littoralsuperlative

1. describing land, water, or activity that lies close to the edge of a sea, lake,

1.形容詞C2
釋義

沿岸的

靠近海、湖或大河岸邊的

describing land, water, or activity that lies close to the edge of a sea, lake, or large river — the strip where water meets shore

例句

Rin spent her summer studying the littoral plants growing along the rocky beach in Okinawa.

Rin 整個夏天都在沖繩研究生長在多岩石海灘旁的沿岸植物。

attributive: littoral + noun (plants, zone, region)

The Greek government has placed strict rules on building in littoral areas around the Aegean.

希臘政府已對愛琴海周邊的沿岸地區實施嚴格的建築管制。

collocation: littoral areas / littoral zone

同義詞
  • coastal

    everyday equivalent; the natural choice in non-technical writing

  • shoreline

    describes the line where land meets water; narrower than 'littoral' which covers the whole transition strip

  • riparian

    specifically for riverbanks; 'littoral' covers seas and lakes as well

反義詞
  • inland

    away from any coast or shore

  • offshore

    out at sea, beyond the littoral strip

用法筆記

Almost always used attributively before a noun (a littoral zone, a littoral region), not after 'be'. The word is technical and rare in everyday speech; in casual English, 'coastal' is the natural choice.

常見錯誤

❌The beach is littoral.
✅The beach lies in the littoral zone.
💡'littoral' modifies a following noun; it sounds wrong after 'is'.
❌a littoral building' (meaning a building near the coast).
✅a coastal building' or 'a building in the littoral zone'.
💡buildings are rarely described as 'littoral'; the word applies to natural features and activities, not architecture.

2. in ecology, describing plants, animals, or features that live in the shallow wat

2.形容詞C2
釋義

潮間帶的

生態學中指潮間或淺水帶的

in ecology, describing plants, animals, or features that live in the shallow water and shoreline area between high and low tide, or the equivalent shallow band of a lake

例句

Kemi photographed dozens of littoral crabs hiding under the rocks at low tide near Lagos.

Kemi 在拉哥斯附近退潮時拍下了好幾十隻躲在岩石下的潮間帶螃蟹。

biology register: littoral + organism (crabs, snails, algae)

Marine biology students must identify the most common littoral seaweeds along the Pacific coast.

海洋生物系的學生必須學會辨認太平洋沿岸最常見的濱岸帶海藻。

academic: littoral seaweeds / littoral species

同義詞
  • intertidal

    narrower; refers only to the strip exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide

  • nearshore

    general ecological term; 'littoral' is the more formal classification

反義詞
  • pelagic

    ecology term for the open-water zone, far from any shore

  • benthic

    describes organisms living on the deep sea or lake floor

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense refers specifically to the biological zone studied in marine and freshwater ecology, not a general coastal location. Subject is typically an organism, habitat, or scientific feature.

常見錯誤

❌I went swimming in the littoral.
✅I went swimming in the littoral zone.
💡in scientific use the word almost always pairs with 'zone', 'species', or another technical noun.

3. describing warships, combat operations, or naval planning that take place in sha

3.形容詞C2
釋義

濱海作戰的

軍事上指於近岸淺水作戰的

describing warships, combat operations, or naval planning that take place in shallow water close to a coastline, rather than out in open ocean

例句

The navy ordered three new littoral combat ships designed to fight in shallow coastal waters.

海軍訂購了三艘專為在淺水近岸作戰而設計的濱海戰鬥艦。

fixed military term: littoral combat ship

Joaquín commanded a small unit trained for littoral operations along the South China Sea.

Joaquín 指揮一支受過南海近岸作戰訓練的小型部隊。

collocation: littoral operations / littoral warfare

同義詞
  • brown-water

    informal navy slang for coastal and river operations; 'littoral' is the formal doctrinal term

  • coastal

    general adjective; 'littoral' is the technical military classification

反義詞
  • blue-water

    describes naval forces designed for the open ocean, far from any coast

用法筆記

Highly restricted to defence and naval writing. Subject is almost always a ship class, operation, or mission. Distinguish from sense 1 (general geographic) and sense 2 (ecological) — military 'littoral' specifically means combat capability close to shore.

常見錯誤

❌The army held a littoral exercise in the desert.
✅The navy held a littoral exercise off the coast.
💡the term applies to sea-based forces operating near a shore, not to land or desert operations.

littoral — 名詞