Salps

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of gelatinous marine organism that belongs to the class Tunicata, which filter-feeds on plankton while drifting in oceanic waters
2. Barrel-shaped animals found in the ocean that can form large chains, recognized for their ability to reproduce quickly and contribute to oceanic ecosystems
3. Marine creatures that utilize a siphon for propulsion and are known for their transparent bodies, often playing a role in nutrient cycling in the sea

Etymology: "Salps" is the plural of "salp", a transparent, barrel-shaped sea creature that drifts in the ocean and can link into long chains. The name is a surprising piece of fish vocabulary: it comes from French "salpe", which in turn descends from Ancient Greek "sālpē", a word for the porgy, a kind of sea bream. Early observers evidently saw a resemblance to that fish, or at least borrowed its name for something they found strange in the water. The Greek word has a close relative in English. "Salpa", the Latin-influenced form, is a doublet of "salp", meaning the two words come from the same source but entered the language by different routes. The Greek original was a fish name, so the creature is named after the sea and its life in it, but not after a specific resemblance that modern readers could easily confirm.