Tidewater
/ˈtaɪdˌwɔːtər/noun
Water affected by the rise and fall of the tide, especially in a coastal river or estuary region.
Did you know?The word has no occult origin, but its first element, tide, goes back to an old Germanic word for “time” or “season,” because people once understood the sea’s rise and fall as a recurring cosmic cycle.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
tīd
“time; season; appointed time”
Old English
OE
wæter
“water”
Middle English
ME
tide water
“water influenced by the tides”
17th Century
English
tidewater
“coastal or estuarine water affected by the tide”
Modern English
English
tidewater
“water subject to tidal rise and fall, especially in an estuary or coastal region”