noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˌmɒ.nɪ.mə(ʊ)ˈlɪm.nɪ.ən/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˌmɑ.ni.məˈlim.ni.ən/
General-American:/-moʊ-/
1
noun
Meaning 1
The lower, dense stratum of a meromictic lake (one with permanently stratified layers) that does not mix with the waters above.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Ancient Greek μόνιμος (mónimos, “stable, permanent”) + -limnion (from Ancient Greek λῐ́μνη (lĭ́mnē, “lake”) + -ion), first appearing in the writings of British ecologist George Evelyn Hutchinson (1903–1991).