flagellum
noun
a long, lashlike appendage serving as an organ of locomotion in protozoa, sperm cells, etc.
flagella
-
pluralof flagellum.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
Simply blocking flagella might not prevent that spread.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 13, 2026
Normally, bacteria move using flagella, slender, whip-like structures that spin to push the cells forward.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 13, 2026
To keep up with their shorter kin, the researchers found, longer bacteria grow a greater number of flagella and disperse their swimming loads among these bundles of limbs.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 7, 2023
Some have flagella and swim up through the snow in spring, when temperatures warm and enough meltwater is present for the cells to photosynthesize and explode in numbers.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 21, 2023
Both cilia and flagella spring directly from the cell-protoplasm, piercing the cell-membrane, when this is present.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 8 "Cube" to "Daguerre, Louis" by Various
