adj · noun · 4 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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/pəˈlæd͡ʒɪk/
/pɛˈlæd͡ʒɪk/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ædʒɪk
CMU ARPABET:P AH0 L AE1 JH IH0 K
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Living in the open sea rather than in coastal or inland waters.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: biology, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Of or pertaining to oceans.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Any organism that lives in the open sea rather than in coastal or inland waters.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: biology, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adjective
Meaning 4
relating to or occurring or living in or frequenting the open ocean
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
oceanic islands like Bermuda
oceanic currents
oceanic birds
pelagic organisms
pelagic whaling
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: oceanic
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Latin pelagicus (and possibly pelagus); from Ancient Greek πελαγικός (pelagikós), from πέλαγος (pélagos, “sea”). By surface analysis, -pelag + -ic.
Across languages
Translations
19 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
пелаги́чен
(pelagíčen)
— living in the open sea
Bulgarian:
пелаги́чески
(pelagíčeski)
— living in the open sea
Bulgarian:
мо́рски
(mórski)
— living in the open sea
Bulgarian:
океа́нски
(okeánski)
— living in the open sea
Catalan:
pelàgic
— living in the open sea
Czech:
pelagický
— living in the open sea
Dutch:
pelagisch
— living in the open sea
Finnish:
pelaginen
— living in the open sea
French:
pélagique
— living in the open sea
Galician:
peláxico
— living in the open sea
German:
pelagisch
— living in the open sea
Greek:
πελαγικός
(pelagikós)
— living in the open sea
Italian:
pelagico
— living in the open sea
Japanese:
外洋性の
(gaiyōsei no)
— living in the open sea
Korean:
원양
(wonyang)
— living in the open sea
Polish:
żyjący blisko powierzchni wody
— living in the open sea