marisma

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish marisma. Ultimately distantly related to marsh.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /məˈɹɪsmə/

Noun

marisma (plural marismas)

1. A tidal or saltwater marsh.
   • 1910, Abel Chapman, Walter John Buck, Unexplored Spain, page 409:

     Mallard [...], in the marisma, nest in precisely similar situations, but their eggs number twelve or fourteen. Elsewhere their nests (being among bush or reedbeds) are less easily seen.

   • 1919, The Ibis, page 163:

     ... waters of the marisma. Whilst photographing the latter Mr. Read was fortunate enough to get a good view of the famous wild camels of the marisma galloping away in the distance, the herd numbering some sixteen or eighteen head.

   • 1980, Erik Carp, Directory of Wetlands of International Importance in the Western Palearctic, IUCN, →ISBN, page 359:

     6. Grasslands, bordering the marismas but usually separated from them by a belt of rushes Juncus spp. 7. The Carex-Scirpus zone of the marismas, flooded for part of the year by fresh water carried largely by the Madre de las Marismas, which flows parallel […]

Galician

Etymology

Attested since circa 1300, from Old Spanish marisma, from Mozarabic, from Latin ora maritima.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈɾisma/ [maˈɾiz̺.mɐ]
• Rhymes: -isma
• Hyphenation: ma‧ris‧ma

Noun

marisma f (plural marismas)

1. (archaic) seaside

   Synonym: mariña

2. saltwater marsh, tideland marsh; estuary

   Synonym: esteiro

Related terms

• mar
• marítimo

References

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “marisma”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “marisma”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “marisma”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “marisma”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “marisma”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN
• “marisma”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025
• “marisma”, in Dicionário Estraviz de galego (in Galician), 2014–2025

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish marisma.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /maˈɾiz.mɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /maˈɾiz.mɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /maˈɾiʒ.mɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /maˈɾiz.ma/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɐˈɾiʒ.mɐ/

Noun

marisma f (plural marismas)

1. marsh (area of low, wet land)

Further reading

• “marisma”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
• “marisma”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Spanish

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin maritima, feminine of maritimus. Considering the Spanish word's /s/ and /i/, likely borrowed via Mozarabic. Compare Portuguese marisma, Catalan maresma, Italian maremma.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈɾisma/ [maˈɾiz.ma]
• Rhymes: -isma
• Syllabification: ma‧ris‧ma

Noun

marisma f (plural marismas)

1. saltwater marsh, tideland marsh
   • 1941, Roberto Arlt, El criador de gorilas, Odio desde la otra vida:

     Rápidamente se encontró en las orillas de una marisma, cargada de flexibles juncos.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

• cocodrilo de las marismas
• marismeño

Related terms

• mar

References

• Coromines, Joan; Pascual, José Antonio (1984), “mar”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico [Critical Castilian and Hispanic etymological dictionary]‎ (in Spanish), volume III (G–Ma), Madrid: Gredos, →ISBN, page 838

Further reading

• “marisma”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025