aphotic means having no light, especially no sunlight.
aphotic is pronounced /eɪˈfəʊtɪk/.
Why “aphotic” is a great word
Having no light, especially no sunlight; specifically describing the deep zone of a body of water where sunlight cannot penetrate and photosynthesis is impossible. From the Greek prefix a- ("not, without") and phōs, phōt- ("light"), via Modern Latin, formed in English in the late 19th century. Unlike "dark," a general term for absence, or "murky," which implies a dim and clouded gloom, "aphotic" defines an absolute and permanent condition. It is the crushing pressure of eight tons per square inch, the eyeless fish navigating by bioluminescent lure, the sediment that has never known warmth—the cold, crushing realization that light itself has abandoned this place, and will never return.
Etymology
From a- (prefix meaning ‘not; without; opposite of’) + photic.
adj
- Having no light, especially no sunlight.
- Describing that part of deep lakes and oceans where less than one per cent of sunlight penetrates and where photosynthesis is not possible.
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