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oceanic - 4 dictionary results

o⋅ce⋅an⋅ic

  [oh-shee-an-ik]
Use oceanic in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of, living in, or produced by the ocean: oceanic currents.
2. of or pertaining to the region of water lying above the bathyal, abyssal, and hadal zones of the sea bottom. Compare neritic, pelagic.
3. immensely large; vast: an oceanic expanse of stars.
4. (initial capital letter) of or pertaining to Oceania, its peoples, or their languages.
Origin:
1650–60; < ML ōceanicus, equiv. to L ōcean(us) ocean + -icus -ic
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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o·ce·an·ic   (ō'shē-ān'ĭk)   
adj.  
  1. Of or relating to the ocean: "Like many oceanic islands, Bermuda was originally free of all mammals except the bat" (Dwight Holing).
  2. Produced by or living in an ocean, especially in the open sea rather than in shallow coastal waters.
  3. Resembling an ocean in expanse; vast: oceanic steppes.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Oceanic

O`ce*an"ic\, a. [Cf.F. oc['e]anique. See Ocean.]

1. Of or pertaining to the ocean; found or formed in or about, or produced by, the ocean; frequenting the ocean, especially mid-ocean.

Petrels are the most a["e]rial and oceanic of birds. --Darwin.

2. Of or pertaining to Oceania or its inhabitants.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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oceanic   (ō'shē-ān'ĭk)  Pronunciation Key 
  1. Relating to the ocean.
  2. Relating to the ocean waters that lie beyond the continental shelf and exceed 200 m (656 ft) in depth. Compare neritic. See more at epipelagic zone.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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