heterocyst

[ het-er-uh-sist ]

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

Origin of heterocyst

1
First recorded in 1870–75; hetero- + cyst
  • Also called het·er·o·cyte [het-er-uh-sahyt] /ˈhɛt ər əˌsaɪt/ .

Words Nearby heterocyst

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024