krill

[ kril ]

noun

, plural krill.

1. any of the small, pelagic, shrimplike crustaceans of the family Euphausiidae, eaten as food by certain whales.

krill

/ krɪl /

noun

1. any small shrimplike marine crustacean of the order Euphausiacea : the principal food of whalebone whales

krill

/ krĭl /

1. Small crustaceans that float in the ocean in huge numbers and are one of the most important parts of zooplankton. Krill are the main food of baleen whales.

Word History and Origins

Origin of krill¹

First recorded in 1905–10, krill is from the Norwegian word kril young fry (of fish)

Word History and Origins

Origin of krill¹

C20: from Norwegian kril young fish

Example Sentences

In the rich, freezing seas off the peninsula, penguins, seals and many whales feed on Antarctic krill.

From BBC

But they have been consistently present off the coast — migrating from their wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America to California in the summer, where they gorge on fish and krill along the coast.

From Los Angeles Times

The parasites rely on several other animals to complete their life cycle, such as krill and smaller fish eaten by salmon.

From Science Magazine

The dove-sized marbled murrelet spends most of its time in coastal waters eating krill, other invertebrates and forage fish such as herring, anchovies, smelt and capelin.

From Science Daily

They enter food webs when eaten by small marine invertebrates, such as krill.

From Science Daily