pelagic

Definition

Living in the open sea rather than in coastal or inland waters.

Etymology

From Latin pelagicus (and possibly pelagus); from Ancient Greek πελαγικός (pelagikós), from πέλαγος (pélagos, “sea”). By surface analysis, -pelag + -ic.

Example Sentences

• "Besides, seeing a shark in an aquarium tank is not the same as seeing a shark in the wild, in its natural, pelagic habitat."
• "The main fish species in freshwater ponds in China are silver carp, bighead carp, grass carp, common carp, crucian carp, black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus), mud carp (Cirrhinus molitorella), etc. According to their live habitat, they can be divided relatively into pelagic and benthic fish."
• "Drifting idly around a broad oceanic arc, the bottle collides softly with tens of thousands of pelagic plastics all colonized by hard-shelled organisms, including barnacles, coralline algae, foraminifera and bivalve molluscs."