foraminifer

American  

[fawr-uh-min-uh-fer, for-] / ˌfɔr əˈmɪn ə fər, ˌfɒr- /

noun

plural

foraminifers, foraminifera

1. any chiefly marine protozoan of the sarcodinian order Foraminifera, typically having a linear, spiral, or concentric shell perforated by small holes or pores through which pseudopodia extend.

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foraminifer British  

/ ˌfɒrəˈmɪnɪfə, fɒˌræmɪˈnɪfərəl /

noun

1. Often shortened to: foram.  any marine protozoan of the phylum Foraminifera , having a shell with numerous openings through which cytoplasmic processes protrude See also globigerina nummulite

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Other Word Forms

• foraminiferal adjective
• foraminiferous adjective

Etymology

Origin of foraminifer

1835–45; < New Latin Foraminifera, equivalent to Latin forāmin-, stem of forāmen foramen + -ifera; see -i-, -fer

Example Sentences

Now, an international group of researchers have discovered a previously unknown species of large foraminifer, shedding new light on the ecological evolution and biodiversity of coral reefs in the Ryukyu Islands.

From Science Daily • Sep. 19, 2023

Eozo�on, a supposed gigantic fossil foraminifer found in the limestone of the pre-Cambrian rocks of Canada, whence the name Eozo�n canadense.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia Volume 4, Part 2: Ebert to Estremadura by Various

In these rocks the nucleus of every minute spherule is seen, under the microscope, to consist of a small rhizopod or foraminifer.

From The Student's Elements of Geology by Lyell, Charles, Sir

The Laurentian rocks have yielded only one fossil—a large foraminifer named Eozoon Canadense.

From Geology by Geikie, James

Sir William Dawson’s name is especially associated with the Eozoon canadense, which in 1864 he described as an organism having the structure of a foraminifer.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 10 "David, St" to "Demidov" by Various