pelagic

American  

[puh-laj-ik] / pəˈlædʒ ɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the open seas or oceans.

2. living or growing at or near the surface of the ocean, far from land, as certain organisms.

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pelagic British  

/ pɛˈlædʒɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the open sea

   pelagic whaling

2. (of marine life) living or occurring in the upper waters of open sea

3. (of geological formations) derived from material that has fallen to the bottom from the upper waters of the sea

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pelagic Scientific  

/ pə-lăj′ĭk /

1. Relating to or living in or on oceanic waters. The pelagic zone of the ocean begins at the low tide mark and includes the entire oceanic water column. The pelagic ecosystem is largely dependent on the phytoplankton inhabiting the upper, sunlit regions, where most ocean organisms live. Biodiversity decreases sharply in the unlit zones where water pressure is high, temperatures are cold, and food sources scarce. Pelagic waters are divided, in descending order, into the epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, abyssopelagic, and hadopelagic zones.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpelagic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of pelagic

1650–60; < Latin pelagicus < Greek pelagikós, equivalent to pélag ( os ) the sea + -ikos -ic

Explanation

Anything pelagic has something to do with the ocean, especially the open area far from the shore. Pelagic birds and fish — like tuna, jellyfish, and the Atlantic puffin — live in the open ocean. The term pelagic zone refers to a column of sea water from the surface to the ocean floor. Scientists divide the pelagic zone of the ocean into sub-categories based on their distance from the surface of the water. This word comes from a Greek root, pelagos, "high sea."

Example Sentences

The scientists said deep divers, such as sperm whales, and pelagic dolphins showed a steadier increase in strandings since the 1990s.

From BBC • Aug. 20, 2025

Now the scientists — who were researching pelagic sharks at the country’s Canary Islands — are going to study the anglerfish’s body, hoping to learn more about its uncharacteristic behavior.

From Salon • Feb. 13, 2025

They then employed Bayesian models to reconstruct ancestral habitats, revealing that ceratioids originated from benthic ancestors before transitioning to the pelagic zone.

From Science Daily • Dec. 2, 2024

The usual hue of the living version is greenish-brown, according to John Ugoretz, pelagic fisheries and ecosystem program manager for the department.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2024

False killer whales are widely distributed in the pelagic tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate waters of the western North Atlantic.

From Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic A Guide to Their Identification by Caldwell, David