PLANKTONIC

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does planktonic mean? 

• PLANKTONIC (adjective)
  The adjective PLANKTONIC has 1 sense:

1. of or relating to plankton

  Familiarity information: PLANKTONIC used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PLANKTONIC (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Of or relating to plankton

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Pertainym:

plankton (the aggregate of small plant and animal organisms that float or drift in great numbers in fresh or salt water)

Derivation:

plankton (the aggregate of small plant and animal organisms that float or drift in great numbers in fresh or salt water)

 Context examples 

Many marine invertebrates depend on vision to find food and shelter and to avoid predators, especially in their early life stages when they are planktonic.

(Low ocean oxygen levels can blind sea creatures, National Science Foundation)

The skeletons of planktonic foraminifers are preserved in large numbers in deep-sea sediments, providing a rich fossil record of the environmental conditions of the upper ocean.

(Planktonic Foraminifera, NOAA Paleoclimate Glossary)