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chrysophyte

American

[kris-uh-fahyt] / ˈkrɪs əˌfaɪt /

noun

any algae of the phylum Chrysophyta, comprising the yellow-green algae, golden-brown algae, and diatoms, distinguished by having in various proportions the three pigment groups chlorophyll (green), carotene (yellow), and xanthophyll (brown), and storing food reserves as oil rather than starch.

1955–60; < New Latin Chrysophyta; see chryso-, -phyte

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