heterocyst

[ het-er-uh-sist ]

noun

, Bacteriology.

1. one of the enlarged nitrogen-fixing cells occurring along the filaments in some cyanobacteria.

Word History and Origins

Origin of heterocyst¹

First recorded in 1870–75; hetero- + cyst

Example Sentences

All × 300. y, heterocyst. sp. spore.

From Project Gutenberg