desmid

American

[dez-mid] / ˈdɛz mɪd /

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.

desmid British

/ ˈdɛsmɪd /

noun

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

"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

Other Word Forms

desmidian adjective

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

C. nivalis is a green alga — the group that gave rise to land plants, and includes the desmids I discussed here last month.

From Scientific American

With tiny, sculpted bodies and some distinctly unplantlike behavior, desmids are gorgeous botanical oddballs.

From Scientific American

The desmids are wonderfully beautiful plants; the markings and colors are exquisite.

From Project Gutenberg

Both diatoms and desmids may cohere together, forming more complex masses; but another creature allied to Protococcus is noted for its mode of cohesion.

From Project Gutenberg

Algal spores took hold, desmids and diatoms swam in and settled down, little fish wandered in and out of the crevices, while large ones nosed at the entrances.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023