dinoflagellate

American  

[din-uh-flaj-uh-leyt] / ˌdɪn əˈflædʒ əˌleɪt /

noun

1. any of numerous chiefly marine plankton of the phylum Pyrrophyta (or, in some classification schemes, the order Dinoflagellata), usually having two flagella, one in a groove around the body and the other extending from its center.

---

dinoflagellate British  

/ -ˌleɪt, ˌdaɪnəʊˈflædʒɪlɪt /

noun

1. any of a group of unicellular biflagellate aquatic organisms forming a constituent of plankton: now usually classified as a phylum of protoctists ( Dinoflagellata )

---

adjective

1. of or relating to dinoflagellates

dinoflagellate Scientific  

/ dī′nō-flăj′ə-lĭt /

1. Any of numerous one-celled organisms found mostly in the ocean, usually having two flagella of unequal length and often an armorlike covering of cellulose. Dinoflagellates are one of the main components of plankton. Since dinoflagellates have characteristics of both plants and animals, their classification is controversial.

2. See more at red tide

---

Pronunciation

At first glance, it would seem that dinoflagellates are related to dinosaurs, at least with respect to their names. Despite both words beginning with the spelling dino-, however, their etymologies and pronunciations are very different—as are their sizes! The first part of dinosaur comes from the Greek root deinós (“terrifying, frightful”) and is pronounced . Dinoflagellate gets its start from the completely different Greek root dînos (“whirling, rotation”), and is pronounced . With a characteristic corkscrew motion producing a spiral path, the microscopic dinoflagellate is really not terrifying at all.

Etymology

Origin of dinoflagellate

First recorded in 1900–05; from Greek dînos “rotation, whirling” + flagellate

Example Sentences

P. lunula is an example of a dinoflagellate -- a single-celled organism that cannot move on its own.

From Science Daily • Nov. 18, 2024

“We have recently had dinoflagellate blooms up and down the California coast,” Clarissa Anderson, a biological oceanographer at Scripps and director of the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System, said last week.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2024

Environmental stress causes the coral to expel or break down symbiotic algae, dinoflagellate.

From Salon • Feb. 2, 2022

The biggest threat, Payton says, is the tiny Alexandrium catenella, a round dinoflagellate with threadlike “arms” it uses to swim.

From Scientific American • Jan. 24, 2022

In large quantities, these dinoflagellate species secrete an asphyxiating toxin that can kill fish, birds, and marine mammals.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015