riparian
adjective
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Riparian came to English from the same source that gave us "river"—the Latin riparius, a noun deriving from ripa, meaning "bank" or "shore." First appearing in English in the 19th century, "riparian" refers to things that exist alongside a river (such as riparian wetlands, habitats, trees, etc.). Some river communities have laws called "riparian rights," referring to the rights of those owning land along a river to have access to the waterway. Note the distinction of this word from "littoral," which usually refers to things that occur along the shore of a sea or ocean.
Examples of riparian in a Sentence
Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2024
About 70 percent of the reserve is considered a wetland area, with a mix of salt marsh, coastal sage scrub and riparian habitats.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for riparian 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'riparian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Riparian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riparian. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
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riparian
adjective
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