DIATOM
diatom
(noun) microscopic unicellular marine or freshwater colonial alga having cell walls impregnated with silica
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
diatom (plural diatoms)
Any of a group of minute unicellular algae having a siliceous covering of great delicacy, now categorized as class Diatomophyceae or division Bacillariophyta.
Anagrams
• Tomida
Source: Wiktionary
Di"a*tom, n. Etym: [Gr. Diatomous.]
1. (Bot.)
Definition: One of the Diatomaceæ, a family of minute unicellular Algæ
having a siliceous covering of great delicacy, each individual
multiplying by spontaneous division. By some authors diatoms are
called Bacillariæ, but this word is not in general use.
2. A particle or atom endowed with the vital principle.
The individual is nothing. He is no more than the diatom, the bit of
protoplasm. Mrs. E. Lynn Linton.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition