plankton

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

plank·ton

(plăngk′tən)

The small or microscopic organisms that drift or swim weakly in a body of water, including bacteria, diatoms, jellyfish, and various larvae. Plankton is an important food source for fish and other larger organisms.

[German, from Greek, neuter of planktos, wandering, from plazein, to turn aside; see plāk- in Indo-European roots.]

plank·ton′ic (-tŏn′ĭk) adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

plankton

(ˈplæŋktən)

(Biology) the organisms inhabiting the surface layer of a sea or lake, consisting of small drifting plants and animals, such as diatoms. Compare nekton

[C19: via German from Greek planktos wandering, from plazesthai to roam]

planktonic adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

plank•ton

(ˈplæŋk tən)

n.

the aggregate of passively floating, drifting, or somewhat motile organisms occurring in a body of water, primarily comprising microscopic algae and protozoa.

[1890–95; < German < Greek, neuter of planktós drifting, v. adj. of plázesthai to drift, roam, wander]

plank•ton′ic (-ˈtɒn ɪk) adj.

plank·ton

(plăngk′tən)

Small organisms that float or drift in great numbers in bodies of salt or fresh water. Plankton is a primary food source for many animals, and consists of bacteria, protozoans, certain algae, cnidarians, tiny crustaceans such as copepods, and many other organisms.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

plankton

Microscopic aquatic organisms that float near the surface of water.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun

plankton - the aggregate of small plant and animal organisms that float or drift in great numbers in fresh or salt water

organism, being - a living thing that has (or can develop) the ability to act or function independently

phytoplankton - photosynthetic or plant constituent of plankton; mainly unicellular algae

zooplankton - animal constituent of plankton; mainly small crustaceans and fish larvae

copepod, copepod crustacean - minute marine or freshwater crustaceans usually having six pairs of limbs on the thorax; some abundant in plankton and others parasitic on fish

congeries, conglomeration, aggregate - a sum total of many heterogenous things taken together

Translations

كائِنات حَيَّة دَقيقَه

plankton

Plankton

πλαγκτόν

plancton

plankton

svif

plancton

planktonas

planktons

plankton

planktón

plânkton

浮游生物

plankton

[ˈplæŋktən] N → plankton m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

plankton

[ˈplæŋktən] n → plancton mplanned economy n → économie planifiée

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

plankton

n → Plankton nt

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

plankton

[ˈplæŋktən] n → plancton m inv

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

plankton

(ˈplӕŋktən) noun

very tiny living creatures floating in seas, lakes etc.

References in periodicals archive ?

THESE amazing images have captured glowing bioluminescent plankton on Gower.

Sea and stars create a moment of magic for photographer

It coincided with a rise in calcium carbonate-secreting plankton and their subsequent deposition on the ocean floor.

Evolution of Life Changed 170 Million Years Ago

* The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's biological technology office will begin prototyping sensing capabilities using undersea organisms such as plankton and shrimp to detect threats.

DARPA to Use Shrimp, Plankton to Detect Undersea Threats

This has been confirmed accidentally when researchers uncovered its first strong evidence 6 analysis of the 60-year-old record from machines that monitor plankton.

Earth's Rising Ocean-Plastics Problem Revealed By Plankton Study

There are now a number of described large changes in coral ecosystems, plankton, seabirds, macroalgae (seaweed) and fish that provide evidence of the extensive scale of responses to higher temperatures and that confirm the impact of these shifts on ecosystems.

Research shows major shifts in marine biology

As a student team member of the CARIM project, a portion of my PhD research is dedicated to better understanding how future ocean conditions, especially OA, may affect interactions among the tiny plankton drifting in our seas.

Acidic Oceans: How Will Copepods Cope?

This is the locomotion strategy--or lack thereof--of plankton, the microscopic organisms that make up the vast majority of the living organisms in the ocean.

Forecasting Where Ocean Life Thrives: SCIENTISTS FOCUS ON SEAMS IN THE OCEAN CALLED 'FRONTS'

Flamingos consume algae, plankton and crustaceans such as crabs and shrimps.

Let pink prevail

JIMMY FLYNN, Acklam Alarm bells sound over plankton EARLIER this year a researcher studying the sound made by leopard seals in the Antarctic found one group ate plankton and not penguins.

Fitting tribute to John

THIS stunning photo captures the rare bioluminescent plankton in the sea at Aberavon Beach.

SPARKLING SEA

The Perak state government is roping in a university unit on sea turtles to plan how to preserve Pulau Sembilan, a cluster of islands off Bagan Datuk with rich marine life like rare plankton.

Universiti Malaysia Terengganu's turtle unit to help maintain Perak's Pulau Sembilan

Taken by amateur photographer Dave Swinburn, the light comes from clouds of plankton, which glow when they are disturbed.