demersal

See also: démersal

English

Etymology

From Latin demersus, past participle of dēmergō (“to sink”); compare demersed.

Adjective

demersal (comparative more demersal, superlative most demersal)

1. (biology, of groundfish or other life) That lives near the bottom of a body of water.

   Synonyms: benthic, benthonic

   Coordinate terms: pelagic (intermediate in water column), planktonic (drifting)

   • 1991, Michael R. Ross, Recreational Fisheries of Coastal New England‎^[1], page 156:

     Unlike the more demersal (bottom-dwelling) cod, pollock will pursue schools of small fishes at any depth, occasionally driving them to the surface of the water where frantic splashing can be seen as the prey attempt to escape.

   • 2003, David A. Ebert, Sharks, Rays, and Chimaeras of California‎^[2], page 64:

     The young tend to occupy a pelagic habitat, but shift to a more demersal lifestyle with maturity.

   • 2004, Bjørn Erik Axelsen, Jens-Otto Krakstad, Graça Bauleth-D'Almeida, “7: Aggregation dynamics and behaviour of the Cape horse mackerel (Trahurus trachurus capensis) in the northern Benguela - implications for acoustic abundance estimation”, in Ussif Rashid Sumaila, editor, Namibia's Fisheries: Ecological, Economic, And Social Aspects, page 149:

     At a certain age, however, the Cape horse mackerel in the northern Benguela tend to adopt a more demersal lifestyle, thus entering into the bottom dead zone.

2. Taking place near the bottom of a body of water.

   demersal fishing [ = groundfishing⁠]

Derived terms

• bathydemersal
• demersally

Translations

living near the bottom of a body of water

• French: démersal (fr)
• Galician: demersal (gl)
• Icelandic: botnlægur m
• Polish: denny (pl)

Noun

demersal (plural demersals)

1. (biology) Any demersal organism, especially a groundfish.

Anagrams

• emeralds

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /demeɾˈsal/ [d̪e.meɾˈsal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: de‧mer‧sal

Adjective

demersal m or f (masculine and feminine plural demersales)

1. demersal