pelagic
puh-LAJ-ik
/pəˈlædʒ.ɪk/
Relating to or living in the open ocean water column, away from the coast and the sea floor.
Pertains specifically to organisms or zones in open water, floating or swimming freely above the bottom.
The story behind the word. Originates from ancient Greek pelagos, meaning open sea or high seas, as opposed to closed gulfs or shorelines.
Word relationships
- open-ocean: Open-ocean is an everyday descriptive term, while pelagic is a formal biological classification.
- benthic: Benthic refers to organisms living on or near the ocean floor, as opposed to open water.
- neritic: Neritic refers to shallow waters near the coast rather than open sea.
Commonly confused with
- benthic: Pelagic means open water column; benthic means ocean floor.
Word family
- pelagial (noun): The open sea as a distinct environment.
Collocations
- pelagic fish
- pelagic zone
- pelagic organism
- pelagic ecosystem
Example sentences
- "Tuna, swordfish, and oceanic sharks spend their entire lives in the open pelagic zone of the sea." Marine biology
Memory hook
PELAGIC: Archipelago in the pelagos — open water surrounding islands. Open ocean free-swimming realm.
When not to use
Do not use to describe sea-floor dwellers like clams or lobsters.
Fun facts
- The pelagic zone contains 1.3 billion cubic kilometers of water, making up the vast majority of Earth's living volume.
Explore more words
aquatic, terrestrial, voyage, trophic, invertebrate, peripatetic
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