Word
plankton
Phoneticsplank·ton
US/ˈpɫæŋktən/
UK/plˈæŋktən/
Definition
n. tiny plants and animals that drift in the ocean or fresh water. They are a very important food source for many larger sea creatures like whales.
n. a diverse collection of organisms that live in large bodies of water and are unable to swim against a current. Provides a crucial foundational role in aquatic food webs and the global carbon cycle.
Examples
“Many whales eat tiny plankton to survive.”
“The health of the local fish population depends heavily on the seasonal availability of plankton in the upper layers of the ocean.”
Examples
simple
“Many whales eat tiny plankton to survive.”
contextual
“The health of the local fish population depends heavily on the seasonal availability of plankton in the upper layers of the ocean.”
Usage
Usually treated as a collective singular noun; occasionally used as a plural in scientific contexts to refer to different species.
Real-World Examples
“Organs hadn’t been invented yet, so “eating” just meant waiting for tiny particles of food, like bits of plankton or bacteria, to float into the only opening in the animal’s body.” “Because that compound is produced on Earth by ocean plankton, it could be a sign of the presence of organic life.” Etymology
Borrowed from German Plankton, coined by German zoologist and marine biologist Victor Hensen. By surface analysis, Ancient Greek πλαγκτός (planktós, “drifter”) + -on. Ultimately from Ancient Greek πλαγκτόν (planktón, “drifting”), neuter nominative of πλαγκτός (planktós), from πλάζομαι (plázomai, “to wander, drift”), from πλάζω (plázō, “to cause to wander, drive astray”). By surface analysis, plankt- + -on.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/plankton