oceanic trench

[ oh-shee-an-ik trench ]

noun
  1. a depression of significant depth in the ocean floor, usually about 2.0–2.5 miles (3–4 kilometers) deeper than the surface of the surrounding seafloor and about 30–60 miles (50–100 kilometers) wide, with a length that may span thousands of miles or kilometers: an integral element of plate tectonics.

Origin of oceanic trench

1
First recorded in 1945–50
  • Also called o·cean trench [oh-shuhn trench], /ˈoʊ ʃən ˈtrɛntʃ/, deep-sea trench [deep-see-trench] /ˈdipˈsi ˈtrɛntʃ/ .

Words Nearby oceanic trench

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for oceanic trench

oceanic trench

noun
  1. a long narrow steep-sided depression in the earth's oceanic crust, usually lying above a subduction zone

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012