benthos or benthon (ˈbɛnθɒs)

—n
1.	the animals and plants living at the bottom of a sea or lake
2.	the bottom of a sea or lake

[C19: from Greek: depth; related to bathus deep]

benthon or benthon

—n

[C19: from Greek: depth; related to bathus deep]

'benthic or benthon

—*adj*

'benthal or benthon

—*adj*

ben'thonic or benthon

—*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

benthos

"life forms of the deep ocean and sea floor," 1891, coined by Haeckel from Gk. benthos "depth of the sea," related to bathos "depth," bathys "deep." Adjective benthic is attested from 1902.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Science Dictionary

benthos

(běn'thŏs') Pronunciation Key

The bottom of a sea or lake.
The organisms living on sea or lake bottoms. The benthos are divided into sessile organisms (those that are attached to the bottom or to objects on or near the bottom) and vagrant organisms (those that crawl or swim along the bottom). Compare nekton , plankton. See more at epifauna , infauna.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia

benthos

the assemblage of organisms inhabiting the seafloor. Benthic epifauna live upon the seafloor or upon bottom objects; the so-called infauna live within the sediments of the seafloor. By far the best-studied benthos are the macrobenthos, those forms larger than 1 mm (0.04 inch), which are dominated by polychaete worms, pelecypods, anthozoans, echinoderms, sponges, ascidians, and crustaceans. Meiobenthos, those organisms between 0.1 and 1 mm in size, include polychaetes, pelecypods, copepods, ostracodes, cumaceans, nematodes, turbellarians, and foraminiferans. The microbenthos, smaller than 0.1 mm, include bacteria, diatoms, ciliates, amoeba, and flagellates.

Learn more about benthos with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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benthos

ben·thos