plankter

English
WOTD – 9 June 2024

Etymology
This dinoflagellate of the genus Gyrodinium is a plankter.

Borrowed from German Plankter, from Koine Greek πλαγκτήρ (planktḗr, “wanderer; one who leads another astray, beguiler”), modelled after German Plankton (“plankton”).[1][2] Πλαγκτήρ (Planktḗr) is derived from Ancient Greek πλᾰ́ζεσθαι (plázesthai) (the mediopassive of πλᾰ́ζω (plázō, “to turn away from (something); to roam, wander”)) + -τήρ (-tḗr, suffix forming masculine agent nouns from verbs).[3]

Pronunciation
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈplæŋ(k)tə/
  • Audio (Southern England)(file)
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈplæŋ(k)təɹ/
  • Hyphenation: plank‧ter

Noun

plankter (plural plankters)

  1. (biology) A single organism of plankton.
    Synonym: plankton (one sense)

Derived terms

Translations

References
  1. “plankter, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, July 2023.
  2. “plankter, n.”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
  3. Compare “plankton, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, July 2023; “plankton, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading
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