Dictionary.com

foraminifer

[ fawr-uh-min-uh-fer, for- ]
/ ˌfɔr əˈmɪn ə fər, ˌfɒr- /
Save This Word!

noun, plural for·a·min·i·fers, fo·ram·i·nif·er·a [fuh-ram-uh-nif-er-uh]. /fəˌræm əˈnɪf ər ə/.

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.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”

Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.
Question 1 of 7
Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?
their
there
they're
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT
Also called fo·ram·i·nif·er·an [fuh-ram-uh-nif-er-uhn], /fəˌræm əˈnɪf ər ən/, foram.

Origin of foraminifer

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

OTHER WORDS FROM foraminifer

fo·ram·i·nif·er·al, fo·ram·i·nif·er·ous, adjective

Words nearby foraminifer

foramen ovale, foramen spinosum, foramina, foraminal node, foraminate, foraminifer, foraminiferan, forasmuchas, for a song, for a wonder, foray
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for foraminifer

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

    Geology|James Geikie

  • One species at least of these creatures was a true Foraminifer, allied, though somewhat distantly, to Eozoon.

    The Story of the Earth and Man|J. W. Dawson

  • The foraminifer multiplies by fission, or by a process of budding.

    The Sea Shore|William S. Furneaux

British Dictionary definitions for foraminifer

foraminifer
/ (ˌfɒrəˈmɪnɪfə) /

noun

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

Derived forms of foraminifer

foraminiferal (fɒˌræmɪˈnɪfərəl) or foraminiferous, adjective

Word Origin for foraminifer

C19: from New Latin, from foramen + -fer
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
Book Your Online Tutor Now