oceanic
Americanadjective
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of, living in, or produced by the ocean.
oceanic currents.
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Oceanography. of or relating to the region of water lying above the bathyal, abyssal, and hadal zones of the sea bottom.
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immensely large; vast.
an oceanic expanse of stars.
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(initial capital letter) of or relating to Oceania, its peoples, or their languages.
adjective
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of or relating to the ocean
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living in the depths of the ocean beyond the continental shelf at a depth exceeding 200 metres
oceanic fauna
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huge or overwhelming
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(of geological formations) of volcanic origin, arising from the ocean
oceanic islands
noun
adjective
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of, relating to, or belonging to this group of languages
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of or relating to Oceania
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Relating to the ocean.
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Relating to the ocean waters that lie beyond the continental shelf and exceed 200 m (656 ft) in depth.
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Compare neritic See more at epipelagic zone
Other Word Forms
- preoceanic adjective
- unoceanic adjective
Etymology
Origin of oceanic
First recorded in 1650–60; from Medieval Latin ōceanicus, equivalent to Latin ōcean(us) + -icus adjective suffix; ocean, -ic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As phytoplankton grow, they remove large quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, making this region the world's largest oceanic sink for the climate warming gas.
From Science Daily
Before the plate boundary moved into the area, the oceanic crust there had already become unusually thick and heated.
From Science Daily
In those regions, heavy oceanic plates slide beneath lighter continental plates, sometimes producing earthquakes hundreds of miles deep.
From Science Daily
The research team plans to further refine the model by adding more atmospheric and oceanic factors, including air temperature and sea level pressure.
From Science Daily
"Normally, an increased supply of iron in the Southern Ocean would stimulate algae growth, which increases the oceanic uptake of carbon dioxide," says lead author Torben Struve of the University of Oldenburg.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
