desmid

[ dez-mid ]

noun

1. any single-celled freshwater algae of the family Desmidiaceae, characterized by a division of the body into mirror-image halves joined by a bridge containing the nucleus, and having a spiny or bristly exterior: sometimes forming into colonies or branching filaments.

desmid

/ ˈdɛsmɪd /

noun

1. any freshwater green alga of the mainly unicellular family Desmidioideae , typically constricted into two symmetrical halves

Derived Forms

• desˈmidian, adjective

Other Words From

• des·midi·an adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of desmid¹

1860–65; < New Latin Desmidium a genus of the family < Greek desm ( ós ) a band, chain (compare deîn to fasten) + New Latin -idium -idium

Word History and Origins

Origin of desmid¹

C19: from New Latin Desmidium (genus name), from Greek desmos bond, from dein to bind

Example Sentences

The Desmid has a coat of cellulose, and a less graceful coat of cellulose encloses the Peridinean.

From Project Gutenberg