ocean

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 (Ōkeanós, “Oceanus”, a water deity). Displaced native Old English gārseċġ. Also commonly referred to as the ocean sea, the sea of ocean (compare Latin mare ōceanum; Old French mer oceane, occeanne mer). Compare Saterland Frisian 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”). Doublet of Oceanus/Okeanos.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈəʊ.ʃən/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈoʊ.ʃən/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊʃən
• Hyphenation: o‧cean

ocean (countable and uncountable, plural oceans)

2. (countable) One of the large bodies of water separating the continents.
3. (uncountable) Water belonging to an ocean.

   The island is surrounded by ocean

4. (figuratively) An immense expanse; any vast space or quantity without apparent limits.

   the boundless ocean of eternity

   an ocean of difference

   • 1849 May – 1850 November, Charles Dickens, The Personal History of David Copperfield, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1850, →OCLC:

     On the present occasion, Traddles was so hemmed in by the pagoda and the guitar-case, and Dora’s flower-painting, and my writing-table, that I had serious doubts of the possibility of his using his knife and fork; but he protested, with his own good-humour, ‘Oceans of room, Copperfield! I assure you, Oceans!’

   • 1959, “Poison Ivy”, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller (lyrics), performed by The Coasters:

     Poison Ivy, Lord,'ll make you itch
     You're gonna need an ocean
     Of calamine lotion
     You'll be scratchin' like a hound
     The minute you start to mess around

5. A blue colour, like that of the ocean (also called ocean blue).

   ocean:  

• (large body of water): the ogin (UK, nautical and navy)

• lake
• sea

• ocean on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• acone, canoe

Derived from Latin ōceanus m.

• IPA^(key): /u.seˈan/

• Audio:

  (file)

ocean m (plural oceans)

1. ocean

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

• oceanic
• oceanografia f

• Joan de Cantalausa (2006) Diccionari general occitan a partir dels parlars lengadocians‎^[1], 2 edition, →ISBN, page 686.

Learned borrowing from Latin Ōceanus. Doublet of Okeanos.

• IPA^(key): /ɔˈt͡sɛ.an/, /ˈɔ.t͡sɛ.an/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛan, -ɔt͡sɛan
• Syllabification: o‧ce‧an
• Homophone: Ocean

ocean m inan (related adjective oceaniczny or oceanowy)

1. ocean (one of the large bodies of water separating the continents)
2. ocean (water belonging to an ocean)
3. (figurative) ocean (immense expanse; any vast space or quantity without apparent limits)

• ocean in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• ocean in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• ocean in PWN's encyclopedia

• ocena

Borrowed from French océan m, Latin ōceanus m, and German Ozean m.

• IPA^(key): /oˈt͡ʃe̯an/

ocean n (plural oceane)

1. ocean

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

• Oceanul Pacific n

• “ocean”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2025

• okèān (Serbia, Bosnia)

From Latin Ōceanus, from Ancient Greek Ὠκεανός (Ōkeanós, “Oceanus”).

• IPA^(key): /ot͡sěaːn/
• Hyphenation: o‧ce‧an

ocèān m inan (Cyrillic spelling оцѐа̄н, relational adjective ocèānskī)

1. (Croatia) ocean

From Latin Ōceanus, from Ancient Greek Ὠκεανός (Ōkeanós, “Oceanus”).

• IPA^(key): /ɔt͡sɛàːn/

oceán m inan

1. (geography) ocean

• “ocean”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran
• “ocean”, in Termania, Amebis
• See also the general references

ocean c

1. (countable) an ocean (very large sea)

   Synonym: världshav

2. (uncountable) ocean (water belonging to an ocean)
3. (figuratively) an ocean (immense expanse or amount)

• Indiska oceanen (“the Indian Ocean”)

• hav (“sea”)
• sjö

• ocean in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• ocean in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• ocean in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)