freshwater

/ˈfrɛʃwɑɾər/

/ˈfrɛʃwɔtə/

Other forms: freshwaters

The adjective freshwater describes an aquatic environment with very little salt, like a stream or a pond, or an animal that lives there.

Water bodies that started as precipitation are freshwater, whether the water came from rain, snowfall, or melting glaciers. A freshwater lake, unlike a salt lake, sea, or ocean, has a low concentration of salts and other minerals. Freshwater bodies make up less than three percent of the earth's water. Freshwater fish and amphibians are the ones that are adapted to live in ponds, lakes, and streams, in contrast to those that thrive in salty water.

Definitions of freshwater

1. noun

   water that is not salty
   synonyms: fresh water

   types:

   rain, rainwater

   drops of fresh water that fall as precipitation from clouds

   condensate

   a product of condensation

   type of:

   H2O, water

   binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
2. adjective

   relating to water that is not salty