nekton

[ nek-ton, -tuhn ]

noun
  1. the aggregate of actively swimming aquatic organisms in a body of water, able to move independently of water currents.

Origin of nekton

1
1890–95; <German, noun use of neuter of nēktós swimming (verbid of nḗchein to swim; see nectopod)

Other words from nekton

  • nek·ton·ic, adjective

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British Dictionary definitions for nekton

nekton

/ (ˈnɛktɒn) /


noun
  1. the population of free-swimming animals that inhabits the middle depths of a sea or lake: Compare plankton

Origin of nekton

1
C19: via German from Greek nēkton a swimming thing, from nēkhein to swim

Derived forms of nekton

  • nektonic, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for nekton

nekton

[ nĕktən, -tŏn′ ]


  1. The collection of marine and freshwater organisms that can swim freely and are generally independent of currents, ranging in size from microscopic organisms to whales. Compare benthos plankton.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.