Oceanicity

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The degree to which climate and ecological systems are affected by nearby seas defines a specific characteristic of land areas
2. A quantifiable measure indicating how much regional environmental conditions are influenced by nearby oceanic factors
3. The extent to which a land area's climate and ecology are shaped by proximity to the sea represents a significant environmental characteristic

Etymology: Oceanicity is a formation from "oceanic" plus the suffix "-ity," which forms abstract nouns of quality or condition from adjectives. "Oceanic" itself comes from the Latin "oceanicus," borrowed from Greek "Ōkeanikos," relating to Ōkeanos, the great river encircling the earth in Greek myth. English has used "ocean" since Middle English, borrowed through Old French from Latin "oceanus," so the adjective and the suffix are both straightforward additions to a long-established stem. The noun is a technical coinage, used chiefly in climatology and geography to measure how strongly a region's weather and ecosystems reflect the influence of nearby seas rather than inland conditions. Climatologists often contrast oceanic climates, with mild winters and cool summers, against continental climates found deep inside large landmasses. Because the term is a modern scientific formation, it does not appear in ancient sources; its meaning was fixed by the scientists who needed a single word for a degree of maritime influence.