Paludal
[pə-LOOD-l]
Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Latin, 19th century
1.
(Of a plant, animal, or soil) Living or occurring in a marshy habitat.
Examples of Paludal in a sentence
"Ducks generally prefer to nest in a paludal area."
"At the base of the hill was a paludal spot full of bulrushes."
About Paludal
“Paludal” is based on the Latin “palus,” meaning “marsh.”
Did you Know?
When “paludal” was coined in the early 19th century, it didn’t describe marshes or swamps or the creatures that live in them. Rather, it was used as a medical adjective to describe malaria, which was often contracted in swamps. However, because the term was based on a Latin root referring directly to marshes, over time “paludal” has come to describe anything to do with marshes and marshy habitats, and is no longer a medical term at all. In modern use, “paludal” describes plants and animals native to marshy habitats.
