Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- n. The collection of minute or microscopic organisms that inhabit the surface layer of a body of water.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- n. All the organisms that live at the surface of water
Etymologies
Greek neuston, neuter of neustos, swimming, from nein, to swim.
(American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)From Ancient Greek νευστός ("swimming"). (Wiktionary)
Examples
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And we have studies looking at organisms from sponges to sharks, looking at the food chain, both on the bottom of the ocean and also on the extreme layer of - a very thin layer called the neuston, the very surface of the ocean.
oldecat commented on the word neuston
January 11, 2007