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flagellum
[ fluh-jel-uhm ]
/ fləˈdʒɛl əm /
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noun, plural fla·gel·la [fluh-jel-uh], /fləˈdʒɛl ə/, fla·gel·lums.
Biology. a long, lashlike appendage serving as an organ of locomotion in protozoa, sperm cells, etc.
Botany. a runner.
Also called clavola. Entomology. (in an antenna) the whiplike portion above the basal joints.
a whip or lash.
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Origin of flagellum
1800–10; <Latin: whip, lash, diminutive of flagrum a whip, scourge
Words nearby flagellum
flagellated, flagellation, flagelliform, flagellin, flagellosis, flagellum, flageolet, flag fall, flagfish, flag football, Flagg
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use flagellum in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for flagellum
flagellum
/ (fləˈdʒɛləm) /
noun plural -la (-lə) or -lums
biology a long whiplike outgrowth from a cell that acts as an organ of locomotion: occurs in some protozoans, gametes, spores, etc
botany a long thin supple shoot or runner
zoology the terminal whiplike part of an arthropod's appendage, esp of the antenna of many insects
Derived forms of flagellum
flagellar, adjectiveWord Origin for flagellum
C19: from Latin: a little whip, from flagrum a whip, lash
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
Medical definitions for flagellum
flagellum
[ flə-jĕl′əm ]
n. pl. fla•gel•la (-jĕl′ə)
A threadlike appendage, especially a whiplike extension of certain cells or organisms that functions as an organ of locomotion.
Other words from flagellum
fla•gel′lar (-jĕl′ər) adj.The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for flagellum
flagellum
[ flə-jĕl′əm ]
Plural flagella
A slender whiplike part extending from some single-celled organisms, such as the dinoflagellates, that moves rapidly back and forth to impart movement to the organism.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.