ENGLISH
REFERENCE

ocean

n. countable
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˈoʊʃən// UK //ˈəʊʃən// ocean General-service

n. the very large area of salt water that covers most of the Earth. It is much bigger than a sea.

n. the vast body of salt water that covers approximately 71 percent of the Earth's surface. Often used to refer to one of the five major geographic divisions of this water mass.


SIMPLE

The blue ocean looks beautiful in the morning sun.

CONTEXTUAL

Many different kinds of fish and whales live deep in the Atlantic ocean.

COMPLEX

Marine biologists are concerned that rising temperatures in the ocean will negatively impact the delicate balance of coral reef ecosystems worldwide.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English *ocean, occean, occian, occyan, from Old French occean (later reborrowed or reinforced by Middle French ocean), from Latin Ōceanus, originally from Ancient Greek Ὠκεανός (Ōkeanós, “Oceanus”, a water deity). Displaced native Old English gārseċġ. Also commonly referred to as the ocean sea, the sea of ocean (compare Latin mare ōceanum; Old French mer oceane, occeanne mer). Compare Saterland Frisian Oceoan (“ocean”), West Frisian oseaan (“ocean”), Dutch oceaan (“ocean”), German Low German Ozeaan (“ocean”), German Ozean (“ocean”), Danish ocean (“ocean”), Swedish ocean (“ocean”), French océan (“ocean”), Italian oceano (“ocean”). Doublet of Oceanus/Okeanos.

Usage

Often used with the definite article 'the' when referring to the sea in general.

Idioms3 entries

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