foraminifer

[ fawr-uh-min-uh-fer, for- ]

/ ˌfɔr əˈmɪn ə fər, ˌfɒr- /

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.

Words nearby foraminifer

foramen of vena cava, foramen spinosum, foramina, foraminal node, foraminate, foraminifer, foraminiferan, forasmuch as, forasmuchas, foray, forb

Origin of foraminifer

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

Also called fo·ram·i·nif·er·an

[fuh-ram-uh-nif-er-uh n] /fəˌræm əˈnɪf ər ən/, foram.

OTHER WORDS FROM foraminifer

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for foraminifer

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