meroplankton

[ mer-uh-plangk-tuh n ]

/ ˌmɛr əˈplæŋk tən /

noun

a floating mass of eggs and larvae of organisms that are nektonic or benthic in their adult stage; temporary plankton.

Words nearby meroplankton

meromorphic, meromyosin, meronym, merope, meropia, meroplankton, merops, merorachischisis, meros, merosmia, merosystolic

Origin of meroplankton

1905–10; back formation from meroplanktonic; see mero-, planktonic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for meroplankton

meroplankton

/ (ˌmɛrəʊˈplæŋktən) /

noun

plankton consisting of organisms at a certain stage of their life cycles, esp larvae, the other stages not being spent as part of the plankton communityCompare holoplankton

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