benthic

benthic

English

WOTD – 9 September 2007

Etymology

From benthos +‎ -ic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛnθɪk/

Adjective

benthic (not comparable)

1. Pertaining to the benthos; living on the seafloor, as opposed to floating in the ocean.
   • 1878, Proceedings of the United States National Museum, Smithsonian Institution Press, p. 3:

     The benthic environment, except for intertidal areas, has been scarcely explored...

   • 1974, R. H. Parker, The Study of Benthic Communities, American Elsevier Publishing Company, New York, p. 191:

     As the classical approach to benthic community studies originated primarily with Danish biologists, a section is devoted to comparisons of Danish bottom communities with those obtained in Hadley Harbor.

   • 1994, Hans M. Bolli, Jean-Pierre Beckmann, and John B. Saunders, Benthic Foraminiferal Biostratigraphy of the South Caribbean Region, Cambridge University Press, p. 1:

     Benthic foraminifera have been used for stratigraphic purposes almost since they began to be studied systematically.

Antonyms

• planktonic

Derived terms

• cryptobenthic
• holobenthic
• subbenthic

Translations

of the benthos on the seafloor

Dutch: benthonisch Finnish: benttinen French: benthique (fr) m or f German: benthonisch, benthisch (de)

Irish: beantach (ga) Italian: bentonico (it) Latin: benthicus

Noun

benthic (plural benthics)

1. Any organism that lives on the seafloor

See also

• oceanic
• pelagic
• planktonic

Anagrams

• bitchen