Definition

Able to live only in a specific range of salt concentrations in water, often referring to certain aquatic animals or plants that cannot tolerate changes in salinity.

Example

The stenohaline fish thrive in the stable saltwater environment of the ocean.

Conversation

Did you know some fish are stenohaline?

Really? What does that mean exactly?

It means they can only survive in a narrow range of saltwater concentrations.

That’s interesting! I guess they wouldn’t do well in places with changing salinity.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Stenohaline is formed from "steno-" (from Greek "stenos", meaning narrow) and "haline" (from Greek "halos", meaning salt). The word describes organisms that can tolerate only a narrow range of salinity in their environment.

Memory Tip

Think of 'narrow' ('steno-') and 'salt' ('haline') to remember that 'stenohaline' refers to organisms that thrive in a specific, narrow range of saltiness.

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