pelagic

adjective

pe·lag·ic pə-ˈla-jik

Synonyms of pelagic next

: of, relating to, or living or occurring in the open sea : oceanic

pelagic sediment

pelagic birds

pelagic noun

Did you know?

Pelagic comes to us from Greek, via Latin. The Greek word pelagikos became pelagicus in Latin and then pelagic in English. (Pelagikos is derived from pelagos, the Greek word for the sea—it is also a source of archipelago—plus the adjectival suffix -ikos.) Pelagic first showed up in dictionaries in 1656; a definition from that time says that Pelagick (as it was then spelled) meant "of the Sea, or that liveth in the Sea." Centuries later, writers are still using pelagic with the same meaning, albeit less frequently than its more familiar synonym oceanic.

Examples of pelagic in a Sentence

among pelagic animals the undisputed king is the blue whale, the largest creature currently roaming the face of the earth at one time pelagic whaling was the cornerstone of the island's economy

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

However, while pelagic sharks thrived, some species faced physiological limits in extremely warm waters. —

Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024 The state’s shores offer temperate-weather hiking with views of dramatic cliffs, crashing waves, pelagic birds such as the blue-footed booby and several species of sandpiper, and native wildflowers. —

Dakota Kim, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024 The northern equatorial upwelling front, which brings cold-nutrient rich waters to the surface, combined with the tropical sun is the perfect recipe for ocean productivity that sustains ocean pelagic food webs. —

Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024 Instead, target these abundant and hungry pelagic fish by trolling in areas with clear water, and focus on floating structure like sargassum and kelp paddies, oil rigs, and even floating ocean debris. —

Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 19 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pelagic