pelagic
[ puh-laj-ik ]
/ pəˈlædʒ ɪk /
adjective
of or relating to the open seas or oceans.
living or growing at or near the surface of the ocean, far from land, as certain organisms.
Origin of pelagic
OTHER WORDS FROM pelagic
non·pe·lag·ic, adjectiveWords nearby pelagic
pelage,
pelagian,
pelagian islands,
pelagianism,
pelagianize,
pelagic,
pelagic division,
pelagius,
pelagius i,
pelagius ii,
pelargonic
Example sentences from the Web for pelagic
British Dictionary definitions for pelagic
pelagic
/ (pɛˈlædʒɪk) /
adjective
of or relating to the open sea
pelagic whaling
(of marine life) living or occurring in the upper waters of open sea
(of geological formations) derived from material that has fallen to the bottom from the upper waters of the sea
Word Origin for pelagic
C17: from Latin
pelagicus, from
pelagus, from Greek
pelagos sea
Scientific definitions for pelagic
pelagic
[ pə-lăj′ĭk ]
Relating to or living in or on oceanic waters. The pelagic zone of the ocean begins at the low tide mark and includes the entire oceanic water column. The pelagic ecosystem is largely dependent on the phytoplankton inhabiting the upper, sunlit regions, where most ocean organisms live. Biodiversity decreases sharply in the unlit zones where water pressure is high, temperatures are cold, and food sources scarce. Pelagic waters are divided, in descending order, into the epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, abyssopelagic, and hadopelagic zones.