nekton

[ nek-ton, -tuhn ]

noun

the aggregate of actively swimming aquatic organisms in a body of water, able to move independently of water currents.

Origin of nekton

1890–95; <German, noun use of neuter of nēktós swimming (verbid of nḗchein to swim; see nectopod)

Other words from nekton

nek·ton·ic, adjective

Words Nearby nekton

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use nekton in a sentence

Strong swimming animals which move about at will are nekton.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide | Augusta Foote Arnold
The animals of the open sea are conveniently divided into the active swimmers (nekton) and the more passive drifters (Plankton).
The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4) | J. Arthur Thomson

British Dictionary definitions for nekton

nekton

/ (ˈnɛktɒn) /

noun

the population of free-swimming animals that inhabits the middle depths of a sea or lake: Compare plankton

Origin of nekton

C19: via German from Greek nēkton a swimming thing, from nēkhein to swim

Derived forms of nekton

nektonic, adjective

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

Scientific definitions for nekton

nekton

[ nĕk′tən, -tŏn′ ]

The collection of marine and freshwater organisms that can swim freely and are generally independent of currents, ranging in size from microscopic organisms to whales. Compare benthos plankton.

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