estuary

Where does the word "estuary" come from? It comes from Latin aestus, passing through Latin before entering English (1530s).

Estuary’s story begins in Latin: aestus meant “tide, boiling.” Tide, heat, boiling. Within Latin, it grew into aestuarium by ancient. A tidal marsh or inlet, from aestus (tide). It reached English by 1530s as estuary. Settled as the English word for the tidal mouth of a river. Today, estuary means the wide part of a river where it meets the sea and tides mix with fresh water.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient aestus "tide, boiling", tide, heat, boiling.
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient aestuarium "a tidal marsh or inlet", a tidal marsh or inlet, from aestus (tide).
3. Stage 3 · English · 1530s estuary "the tidal mouth of a large river", settled as the English word for the tidal mouth of a river.