plankton

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++

Related topics: Plants, Animals, Biology

plank·ton /ˈplæŋktən/ noun [uncountable]  HBPHBAthe very small forms of plant and animal life that live in water, especially the sea, and are eaten by fish 浮游生物 →4  See picture of 见图 FOOD CHAIN

Examples from the Corpus

plankton• Creatures that float near the surface of the seas are called plankton.• The ocean had so much plankton in it that the sea itself had changed colour.• Against the pale background the plankton which swarmed on the surface were clearly visible.• All creatures that live in the plankton have to devise means of staying afloat.• Cod, for instance, lay about nine million eggs into the plankton.• Because the creatures of the plankton individually are small, they are not always visible to the naked eye.• Through most of the summer, then, the plankton in open ocean is gradually depleted.• The plankton, he said, produce natural chemicals whose effect is similar to that of oil on the water.Origin plankton (1800-1900) German Greek, from planktos “wandering”, from plazesthai “to wander”

plank·ton nounChineseSyllable  

of plant Corpus the small and forms very

plankton
plank‧ton /ˈplæŋktən/ noun [uncountable]the very small forms of plant and animal life that live in water, especially the sea, and are eaten by fish

plank·tonBrE /ˈplæŋktən/ 🔊NAmE /ˈplæŋktən/ 🔊 noun [uncountable + singular or plural verb] the very small forms of plant and animal life that live in water 浮游生物