E is for Estuary

Somehow this word has always held some mystique for me.  The dictionary defines the meaning as: the part of a river or other area of water where it joins the sea, and where fresh and salt water are mixed.

The word estuary dates back to the mid-sixteenth century in England.

As a writer, I can see all sorts of scenarios to use this word.  I see it in my mind as more of a secluded inlet of still water.  Perhaps mists and fog gather there and it’s a place for lovers to sneak away and meet, or perhaps it could be more sinister and the scene of a murder where a body lies in the murky depths waiting to be discovered.

Or maybe it could be more ordinary than that with a small cabin perched on the banks where a widow, or widower, sits to drink their morning tea while looking out over the calm water.  Perhaps there are marshy plants growing there and seabirds perched with thin legs in the muddy depths.

At any rate, this word has always fascinated me since the time I took a writing class years ago in California and my instructor had an estuary in her short story.

Are there any words that hold an air of mystery to you?