sublittoral
|sub-lit-tor-al|
🇺🇸
/ˌsʌbˈlɪtərəl/
🇬🇧
/ˌsʌbˈlɪt(ə)rəl/
under the shore
Etymology
'sublittoral' originates from Latin, specifically the elements 'sub-' and 'littoralis', where 'sub-' meant 'under' and 'litus' (the root of 'littoralis') meant 'shore'.
'sublittoral' was formed in English by prefixing the Latin-derived 'sub-' to 'littoral' (the latter coming into English via French 'littoral' from Latin 'littoralis'), and it was adopted in scientific usage to name the zone below the littoral.
Initially it literally meant 'under the shore', but over time it became a technical term referring specifically to the marine zone below the low-tide line (the subtidal zone).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the sublittoral zone (the area of seabed lying below the low-tide mark and above the continental shelf break); the region itself.
Researchers sampled organisms from the sublittoral around the island.
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Adjective 1
relating to the sublittoral (subtidal) zone — the part of the seabed below the low-tide (littoral) zone, typically extending to the edge of the continental shelf.
Sublittoral habitats support a wide variety of benthic organisms.
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Last updated: 2026/01/10 13:23