spirogyra

[ spahy-ruh-jahy-ruh ]

nounBotany.

a widely distributed filamentous freshwater green alga of the genus Spirogyra.

Origin of spirogyra

1895–1900; <New Latin, equivalent to spiro-spiro-² + -gyra, alteration of Greek gŷros circle or gȳrós round

Words Nearby spirogyra

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use spirogyra in a sentence

The number of these bands varies much in different species of spirogyra, but is commonly two or three.
Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany | Douglas Houghton Campbell
Each thread is a long tube, branching sometimes, but not divided into cells as in spirogyra or Cladophora.
Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany | Douglas Houghton Campbell
Lindsay describes experiments carried on in a reservoir infested with spirogyra.
Inorganic Plant Poisons and Stimulants | Winifred E. Brenchley
We shall call it the Spiral Conferva, its scientific name being spirogyra quinina.
Marvels of Pond-life | Henry J. Slack

British Dictionary definitions for spirogyra

spirogyra

/ (ˌspaɪrəˈdʒaɪərə) /

noun

any green freshwater multicellular alga of the genus Spirogyra, consisting of minute filaments containing spirally coiled chloroplasts

Origin of spirogyra

C20: from New Latin, from spiro- ² + Greek guros a circle

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

Scientific definitions for spirogyra

spirogyra

[ spī′rə-jī′rə ]

Any of a genus of filamentous freshwater green algae having cylindrically shaped cells with spiral-shaped bands of chloroplasts. Species of Spirogyra reproduce asexually by cell division and fragmentation and sexually by conjugation. They form green scum on ponds, floated by the oxygen produced by photosynthesis.

Browse