plankton
Organisms, especially small and microscopic ones, that drift in water.
Example
“Whales feed on tiny plankton drifting in the ocean.”
Other meanings
A plankter, any single organism that drifts in water.
Related words
- euplankton
- geoplankton
- ichthyoplankton
- mixoplankton
- nonplankton
- paleoplankton
- planktivore
- planktivorous
- planktonivore
- planktonology
- planktonophagous
- ultraplankton
Word history
From Ancient Greek "πλαγκτόν" (drifting).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “plankton” on Wiktionary, by its contributors, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.