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

/ plăngk′tən /

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

Derived Forms

• planktonic, adjective

Other Words From

• plank·ton·ic [plangk-, ton, -ik], 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

The mollusks are efficient filter feeders and can increase the clarity of water by consuming large quantities of plankton, which native fish and other creatures depend on.

From Los Angeles Times

It was the assembly of what we might think of as modern ocean ecosystems, a rich base of plankton allowing many other forms of life to thrive.

From Slate

The divots were created at a time when animals in the seas were taking on a broad array of new forms, building complex ecosystems from plankton to jawless fish to spaceship-like filter feeders.

From Slate

The world didn’t just lose almost all the dinosaurs; it also lost the flying pterosaurs, the seagoing mosasaurs, and reef-building clams the size of a toilet seat, in addition to mass extinctions of mammals, lizards, birds, and even plankton.

From Slate

The plates, lined up in a row, are used to strain food from water — mainly small fish and plankton.

From Los Angeles Times