Pelagic
/pəˈlædʒɪk/noun
Relating to the open sea, especially the ocean away from land and coastal waters.
Did you know?Pelagic comes from Greek pelagos, meaning the open sea, and it shares a deep Indo-European root with words for the sea in several ancient languages, showing how humans have been naming the vast, untamed water for millennia.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pelə-
“A root connected with flatness or spreading out”
Ancient Greek
Greek
πέλαγος (pélagos)
“The open sea, the high sea”
Late Latin
Latin
pelagicus
“Of the open sea”
Late Middle English
English
pelagique
“Pertaining to the open sea”
Modern English
English
pelagic
“Relating to the open sea”