Aquarial

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /əˈkwɛəɹi.əl/

Definitions

1. Concerning the traits and aspects of environments dominated by water, connected to the conditions and interactions occurring in aquatic ecosystems, and describing organisms and habitats that thrive in aquatic settings
2. Pertaining to characteristics and features of habitats primarily consisting of water
3. Associated with the living conditions and ecological systems found in watery surroundings

Etymology: "Aquarial" is simply a formation from "aquarium" with the adjective ending "-arial," so it is a modern coinage built from a Latin base rather than a word with a long inherited past. The base is Latin "aqua," meaning "water," which also gave English words such as "aqueous" and "aquatic." The "-arium" element in "aquarium" is a Latin suffix denoting a place or container, so an aquarium is literally a place for water, and "aquarial" follows the pattern of adjectives like "solarial" and "planetarial" in relating a noun to its sense. Because it stands in a line of formations built on this pattern, the word's meaning stays close to the literal one: anything relating to water, especially in the sense of a water-filled space or the keeping of aquatic life. It is an uncommon word, mostly found in technical or descriptive writing where "aquatic" or "watery" would be less precise about the connection to aquariums.

Synonyms: water-related