Library / English Dictionary

OCEAN FLOOR

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The bottom of a sea or ocean

Synonyms:

Davy Jones; Davy Jones's locker; ocean bottom; ocean floor; sea bottom; sea floor; seabed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Hypernyms ("ocean floor" is a kind of...):

bed; bottom (a depression forming the ground under a body of water)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ocean floor"):

abyssal zone (the deep sea (2000 meters or more) where there is no light)

continental shelf (the relatively shallow (up to 200 meters) seabed surrounding a continent)

bathyal district; bathyal zone; continental slope (the steep descent of the seabed from the continental shelf to the abyssal zone)

neritic zone (the ocean waters from the low tide mark to a depth of about 100 fathoms)

twilight zone (the lowest level of the ocean to which light can reach)

Credits

 Context examples: 

While we normally think of continents as needing to be above water, researchers say the new continent does meet other requirements to the title, including elevation over the surrounding area, distinct geology, a well-defined area and crust thicker than the ocean floor, the BBC reports.

(Researchers Argue for Eighth Continent: Zealandia, VOA)

These ridges run along the ocean floor, where they generate new ocean crust.

(Earth's mantle looks like a painting, National Science Foundation)