desmid

[ dez-mid ]

noun

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.

Origin of desmid

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

Other words from desmid

des·mid·i·an, adjective

Words Nearby desmid

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use desmid in a sentence

The desmid has a coat of cellulose, and a less graceful coat of cellulose encloses the Peridinean.
The Story of Evolution | Joseph McCabe

British Dictionary definitions for desmid

desmid

/ (ˈdɛsmɪd) /

noun

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

Origin of desmid

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

Derived forms of desmid

desmidian, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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