Meanings
nounthermocline (plural thermoclines)
plural thermoclines
- geographyA layer within a body of water or air where the temperature changes rapidly with depth.
Even among migratory species, only a few (Aglaura hemistoma, Abylopsis tetragona eudoxids, Beroe sp., Thalia democratica, Salpa fusiformis) crossed the thermocline and reached the bottom layer.
2015 December 5, “Diel Vertical Dynamics of Gelatinous Zooplankton (Cnidaria, Ctenophora and Thaliacea) in a Subtropical Stratified Ecosystem (South Brazilian Bight)”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*gʷʰer-
- Proto-Indo-European*gʷʰermos
- Proto-Hellenic*kʷʰermós
- Ancient Greekθερμός (thermós)
- Englishthermo-
- Englishthermocline
Translations
Bulgarian термокли́н
- термокли́н (termoklín)layer in water
Chinese Mandarin 斜温层, 斜溫層 /斜温层
- 斜温层layer in water
- 斜溫層 /斜温层layer in water
Finnish termokliini
- termokliinilayer in water
French thermocline
- thermoclinelayer in water
Norwegian Bokmål termoklin
- termoklinlayer in water
Russian термокли́н
- термокли́н (termoklín)layer in water
Cite this entry
APA
thermocline. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thermocline
MLA
“thermocline.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thermocline. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thermocline,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thermocline.
Source: thermocline on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.