- Main Entry:
- es·tu·ary
- Pronunciation:
- \ˈes-chə-ˌwer-ē, ˈesh-\
- Function:
- noun
- Inflected Form(s):
- plural es·tu·ar·ies
- Etymology:
- Latin aestuarium, from aestus boiling, tide; akin to Latin aestas summer — more at edify
- Date:
- 1538
: a water passage where the tide meets a river current ; especially : an arm of the sea at the lower end of a river