ScienceAugust 16, 2026
hadal
HAY-dul
Definition
Relating to or inhabiting the deepest parts of the ocean, typically found in trenches at depths exceeding 6,000 meters.
Etymology
Derived from 'Hades,' the Greek god of the underworld, combined with the suffix '-al' to denote a place or state associated with the realm of the dead.
In the news
The article uses the term to describe the 'hadal zone,' the extreme environment below 20,000 feet where snailfish and other specialized organisms survive under immense pressure.
We assume the deepest parts of the ocean are dark and empty, but the walls of the Mariana Trench hold snailfish drifting five miles down under pressure equivalent to a car pressing on every square centimetre of skin, their bones half-dissolved into cartilage so
Read the full article ↗ScienceBlog.com