Shoreward

Origin

shore + -ward

Full definition of shoreward

Adjective

1. In the direction of the shoreline, relatively speaking.
• 1903: Jack London, The Call of the Wild http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/ot2www-pubeng?specfile=/texts/english/modeng/publicsearch/modengpub.o2w&act=surround&offset=447247512&tag=London,+Jack:+The+Call+of+the+Wild,+1903&query=+shoreward&id=LonCallWhen he felt him grasp his tail, Buck headed for the bank, swimming with all his splendid strength. But the progress shoreward was slow; the progress down-stream amazingly rapid.
2. which faces the shore
• 1905: Robert Louis Stevenson, The Black Arrow: A Tale of the Two Roses http://books.google.com/books?vid=LCCN05024183&id=QcNXAd9cPyoC&pg=PA190&lpg=PA190&dq=shoreward&as_brr=1If their enemies were really on the watch, if they had beleaguered the shoreward end of the pier, he and Lord Foxham were taken in a posture of poor defense...

Adverb

1. toward the shore
• 18??: Alfred Tennyson, The Lotos-Eaters http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Lotos-Eaters"Courage!" he said, and pointed toward the land,"This mounting wave will roll us shoreward soon."