limnetic

adjective

lim·​net·​ic lim-ˈne-tik 

: of, relating to, or inhabiting the open water of a body of fresh water

limnetic environment

Word History

Etymology

probably from Greek limnḗtēs "living around lakes" (from límnē "standing water, pool, marshy lake" + -ētēs, extended form of -tēs, agent suffix) + -ic entry 1, after German limnetisch; Greek límnē perhaps going back to an Indo-European paradigm *lei-mōn, accusative *li-men-m, genitive *li-mn-os, whence, with semantic and morphological differentiation, Greek leimṓn "damp tract of ground, moist meadow," limen-, limḗn "protected creek, harbor"

Note: Despite the apparent antiquity of the underlying paradigm, the etymon has no certain Indo-European congeners. It has been compared with Latin līmus "mud, mire," Old English slīm slime entry 1 (assuming an original sense "wetness") and, in a completely different direction, with Latin līmus "transverse, oblique," Old English lim "member, limb entry 1" (assuming an original sense, "something bent in, depression").

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined above