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definitions

zooplankton

[ zoh-uh-plangk-tuh n ]
/ ˌzoʊ əˈplæŋk tən /

noun

the aggregate of animal or animallike organisms in plankton, as protozoans.

Nearby words

  1. zoophilous,
  2. zoophobia,
  3. zoophorus,
  4. zoophyte,
  5. zooplankter,
  6. zooplasty,
  7. zoopraxiscope,
  8. zoosemiotics,
  9. zoosperm,
  10. zoosporangium
Compare phytoplankton.

Origin of zooplankton

First recorded in 1900–05; zoo- + plankton
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for zooplankton

zooplankton

/ (ˌzəʊəˈplæŋktən) /

noun

the animal constituent of plankton, which consists mainly of small crustaceans and fish larvaeCompare phytoplankton
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 zooplankton

zooplankton

n.

1901, from comb. form of Greek zoion "animal" (see zoo) + plankton.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Science definitions for zooplankton

zooplankton

[ zō′ə-plăngk′tən ]

Plankton that consists of tiny animals, such as rotifers, copepods, and krill, and of microorganisms once classified as animals, such as dinoflagellates and other protozoans.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.