ocean
UK[ˈəʊʃn]US[ˈoʊʃn]
n
The vast body of salt water that covers most of the earth's surface
n
One of the five main areas into which this body of water is divided (the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans)
Etymology
The word 'ocean' originates from the Greek 'Ōkeanós', the name of the great river or sea believed to encircle the flat disk of the world in ancient Greek cosmology. It was borrowed into Latin as 'ōceanus' and passed into Old French as 'occean'. The Middle English 'occan' was adopted from the Anglo-Norman form. The conceptual journey is from a specific mythological entity—the personified, world-encircling freshwater stream—to the general term for the immense, interconnected saltwater body covering our planet. This evolution reflects a shift from a localized mythological concept to a global geographical one.
Analysis
The word 'ocean' is a simplex loanword from Greek via Latin and French. Its spelling and form are not productively composed of smaller, recognizable English morphemes.
Examples
The sound of the ocean waves is very calming.
They sailed across the Pacific Ocean.
Marine biologists study life in the deep ocean.