Added 10 October 2026
phytoplankton
/ˌfaɪ.təˈplæŋk.tən/ noun
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about phytoplankton at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
Origin
From phyto- + plankton. From Ancient Greek φυτόν (phutón, “plant”) + πλαγκτόν (planktón), neuter of πλαγκτός (planktós, “wandering”). However, they are no longer classified as plants, so the terminology is showing a historical meaning.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)