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



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Word of the Day

22 December 2024

SUNGLASSES

(noun) (plural) spectacles that are darkened or polarized to protect the eyes from the glare of the sun; “he was wearing a pair of mirrored shades”


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Coffee Trivia

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.

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