Other forms: oceans
An ocean is one of the great bodies of salt water on the planet. The Atlantic Ocean, across the ocean, ocean currents.
Five are usually counted — Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Arctic — though they are one connected body of water divided by convention. Together they cover about seventy per cent of the surface and hold nearly all the planet's water. Less of the ocean floor has been mapped in detail than the surface of Mars. Note oceanic; and that oceans absorb much of the heat and carbon we add.
1nounoceanOne of the great bodies of salt water on the planet.
“The ocean covers about seventy per cent of the surface.”
ocean is a body of water.
Greek Okeanos was the river believed to encircle the world, and the name of its god. Latin took it as Oceanus, and the word displaced the native English garsecg.
Middle English
occean
English, today
ocean
From Middle English occean. From Middle English ocean, occean, occian, occyan, from Old French occean (later reborrowed or reinforced by Middle French ocean), from Latin Ōceanus, originally from Ancient Greek Ὠκεανός (“Oceanus”). Displaced native gārseċġ. Also commonly referred to as the ocean sea, the sea of ocean (compare Latin mare ōceanum; Old French mer oceane, occeanne mer). Compare stq Oceoan (“ocean”), West Frisian oseaan (“ocean”), Dutch oceaan (“ocean”), German Low German Ozeaan (“ocean”), German Ozean (“ocean”), Danish ocean (“ocean”), Swedish ocean (“ocean”), French océan (“ocean”), Italian oceano (“ocean”). a doublet of Oceanus/Okeanos.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA