Oceanic, linguistics: relating to, belonging to, or characterizing a subfamily of the Austronesian family of languages that is spoken in Polynesia and most of the islands of Melanesia and Micronesia
the theory that ancient mariners took advantage of oceanic currents to roam the seas on primitive rafts during his solo crossing of the Atlantic he managed to avoid the fierce oceanic storms that rage in those tropical latitudes
Recent Examples on the WebThe Marin Mammal Program, which is responsible for training these dolphins, has spent decades studying and observing these oceanic creatures. Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 21 Aug. 2022 As passengers are whisked to their destination, soothing scents and sounds waft through the cabin while oceanic imagery projects dreamily onto the surfaces. Derek Powell, Car and Driver, 18 Aug. 2022 Even oceanic tidal forces could affect planetary movements. Manasee Wagh, Popular Mechanics, 16 Aug. 2022 On both its east and west sides, the state is bordered by water, and not every airplane carries sufficient equipment, such as life rafts, to use certain oceanic routes. Micah Maidenberg, WSJ, 15 Aug. 2022 The specifics will help answer questions that have implications for the oceanic food web, the global carbon budget and the very nature of life on Earth. Katherine Harmon Courage, Scientific American, 1 Aug. 2022 The van hurtles down Interstate 94 beneath an oceanic sky dotted with small archipelagoes of clouds. Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 July 2022 Seaweed -- yes, the brownish-green ribbons and bundles of oceanic plantlike matter that wash up on beaches -- is in fact edible. Casey Barber, CNN, 21 July 2022 Towns and cities on the Atlantic coast got some respite early Tuesday, when a cool oceanic air mass arrived from the west overnight. Annabelle Timsit, Washington Post, 19 July 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Latin Ōceanicus, from Ōceanus "the sea flowing around the land mass of the known world, ocean" + -icus-ic entry 1