neuston
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neus·ton
(no͞o′stŏn, nyo͞o′-)n.
The collection of microscopic and small organisms that inhabit the region on or just below the surface of a body of water.
[Greek neuston, neuter of neustos, swimming, from nein, to swim; see (s)nāu- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
neuston
(ˈnjuːstən)n
1. (Zoology) organisms, similar to plankton, that float on the surface film of open water
2. (Zoology) the ecosystem of the surface film of open water in which such organisms as copepods graze on tiny flagellates, bacteria, etc
[C20: via German from Greek neustos swimming, from nein to swim]
neusˈtonic adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
neus•ton
(ˈnu stɒn, ˈnyu-)n.
the aggregate of minute aquatic organisms that float or swim in the surface film of a body of water.
[1925–30; < German (1917) < Greek, n. use of neuter of neustós swimming, verbal adj. of neîn to swim]
neus′tic, neus•ton′ic, adj.
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