Aquaponic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A technique for cultivating plants while rearing aquatic organisms in a mutually beneficial system
2. A system that integrates the cultivation of fish and plants to create a self-sustaining ecological balance
3. Pertaining to a method of growing plants and raising aquatic animals together in a symbiotic environment

Etymology: Latin "aqua" means "water," and the "-ponic" ending is borrowed from "hydroponic," the term for growing plants in nutrient-rich water without soil. "Hydroponic" itself combines the Greek "hydro," meaning water, with "ponos," meaning labour or toil, so the older word literally suggests water-working. Aquaponic formed by analogy, swapping the Greek-derived "hydro-" for the Latin "aqua-" while keeping the familiar ending. The blend reflects the method it names. Fish waste supplies nutrients to the plants, and the plants filter the water that returns to the fish tanks, so the two halves depend on each other. The exact date and first recorded use of the coinage are uncertain, but the word clearly grew up around hydroponics, the older practice it was modelled on.