diatom
(noun) microscopic unicellular marine or freshwater colonial alga having cell walls impregnated with silica
Source: WordNet® 3.1
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.
• 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
26 March 2025
(noun) bandage consisting of a firm covering (often made of plaster of Paris) that immobilizes broken bones while they heal
The first coffee-house in Mecca dates back to the 1510s. The beverage was in Turkey by the 1530s. It appeared in Europe circa 1515-1519 and was introduced to England by 1650. By 1675 the country had more than 3,000 coffee houses, and coffee had replaced beer as a breakfast drink.
