plankton

[plangk-tuh n]

noun

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

Origin of plankton

1890–95; < German, special use of neuter of Greek planktós drifting, equivalent to plang-, variant stem of plázesthai to drift, roam, wander + -tos verbid suffix

Related formsplank·ton·ic

[plangk-ton-ik] /plæŋkˈtɒn ɪk/, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for plankton

Contemporary Examples of plankton

Jellyfish eat the eggs and larvae of other species higher on the food chain, as well as the plankton that those larvae would eat.
Beware at the Beach, the Jellyfish Rule the Seas and It’s Our Fault
Lisa-ann Gershwin
June 20, 2013
Plankton, those wily producers of every second breath of oxygen you breath, will be naked and vulnerable.
The Gulf's Bigger Oil Disaster
Alanna Mitchell
September 11, 2010

Historical Examples of plankton

Many of the luminous marine animals are to be found in the plankton, while the littoral luminous forms are in the minority.
The Nature of Animal Light
E. Newton Harvey
Both fish and plankton are consumed by humpback whales as well as by other predators.
Humpback Whales in Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska
United States Department of Commerce, Marine Mammal Commission
By autumn, plankton concentrations diminish as light and nutrient levels decrease.
Humpback Whales in Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska
United States Department of Commerce, Marine Mammal Commission
The plankton (small floating animals) is distributed in the morning, other animals as required.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 3
Various
The same method is followed by the pretty radiolaria which live floating (as plankton) at various depths of the sea.
The Wonders of Life
Ernst Haeckel

British Dictionary definitions for plankton

plankton

noun

the organisms inhabiting the surface layer of a sea or lake, consisting of small drifting plants and animals, such as diatomsCompare nekton

Derived Formsplanktonic (plæŋkˈtɒnɪk), adjective

Word Origin for plankton

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

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

Word Origin and History for plankton

1891, from German Plankton (1887), coined by German physiologist Viktor Hensen (1835-1924) from Greek plankton, neuter of planktos "wandering, drifting," verbal adjective from plazesthai "to wander, drift," from plazein "to drive astray," from PIE root *plak- (2) "to strike, hit" (see plague (n.)). Related: Planktonic.

plankton in Science

plankton

[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. Compare benthos nekton.