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Glite Dictionary
shoreface

shoreface

7.9
A sloping part of a beach between the low tide line and where waves break
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : zona intermareal
  • During low tide, you can see the wet sand and shells on the shoreface where the waves meet the beach.

Examples

  • After Hurricane Matthew, the orthomosaic shows that a breach has formed, and the barrier has migrated inland through erosion of the shoreface and overwash deposition in the back-barrier river channel.

    Academic text (2018)

  • The foreshore retreats rapidly as waves and swash rework sediments to adjust the shoreface profile to a gentler upper gradient.

    Academic text (1990)

  • The marine biologist studied the creatures living in the shoreface zone of the ocean.

  • Beachgoers often explore the shoreface at low tide to discover new marine life.

Synonyms

nearshore
vsshoreface
4.2

The part of the sea close to the land

is the narrow beach part between the low tide line and where waves break

Surface Forms

shoreface singular
shorefaces plural

Morphology

shoreface = shore + face (semi-transparent) = shore + face

Formed by 'shore' + 'face' so components are identifiable, but the precise meaning is a technical coastal-geomorphology term not obvious to general learners.

Etymology

Shoreface is made of shore meaning 'land by the sea' and face meaning 'front' or 'surface', so it literally means the 'front of the shore' that meets the water. That's why shoreface refers to the part of a beach between the low-tide line and where waves begin to break.