plankton

[plangk-tuhn]

noun

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

plankton

/ plæŋkˈtɒnɪk, ˈplæŋktən /

noun

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

plankton

1. 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.

2. Compare benthos nekton

Other Word Forms

• planktonic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of plankton¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of plankton¹

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

Example Sentences

What makes coccolithophores stand out from other plankton is both their role in the global carbon cycle and the unique record they leave behind.

Read more on Science Daily

Superman’s stymied do-gooder impulse feels right for an era where you can’t say “Save the whales” without some genius asking why you don’t care about plankton.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Burning oil, gas, and coal — literal fossil fuels, made from the compressed remains of ancient plants and plankton — has released carbon into Earth’s atmosphere, where it traps heat and alters the climate.

Read more on Salon

The testing at Las Virgenes Reservoir will help the company’s engineers check how the system works in filtering out plankton and discharging it back into the water.

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Findings like Crichton’s might also provide a warning that a future climate could lack the deep-sea plankton necessary to sustain large deep-sea fish.

Read more on Salon