riparian

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The Word of the Day for May 25 is:

riparian   \ruh-PAIR-ee-un\   adjective
     : relating to or living on the bank of a natural 
watercourse or sometimes of a lake or tidewater

Example sentence:
     Residents of the riparian community learned to brace 
themselves for a flood whenever the river was close to cresting 
its banks.

Did you know?
     "Riparian" came to English from the same source that gave 
us "river" -- the Latin "riparius," a noun deriving from "ripa," 
meaning "bank" or "shore." First appearing in English in the 
19th century, "riparian" can apply to things that occur 
alongside a river (such as riparian towns, trees, etc.) as well 
as things that are found within it (riparian rocks, fish, etc.). 
Some river communities have laws called "riparian rights," 
referring to the rights of those owning land along a river to 
have access to the waterway. Note the distinction of this word 
from "littoral," which usually refers to things that occur along 
the shore of a sea or ocean.