desmid

[ dez-mid ]
/ ˈdɛz mɪd /

noun

any single-celled freshwater algae of the family Desmidiaceae, characterized by a division of the body into mirror-image halves joined by a bridge containing the nucleus, and having a spiny or bristly exterior: sometimes forming into colonies or branching filaments.

Origin of desmid

1860–65; < New Latin Desmidium a genus of the family < Greek desm(ós) a band, chain (compare deîn to fasten) + New Latin -idium -idium

OTHER WORDS FROM desmid

des·mid·i·an, adjective

Words nearby desmid

desknote, deskperson, desktop, desktop publishing, desman, desmid, desmitis, desmo-, desmocranium, desmogenous, desmoid

Example sentences from the Web for desmid

  • The Desmid has a coat of cellulose, and a less graceful coat of cellulose encloses the Peridinean.

    The Story of Evolution |Joseph McCabe

British Dictionary definitions for desmid

desmid
/ (ˈdɛsmɪd) /

noun

any freshwater green alga of the mainly unicellular family Desmidioideae, typically constricted into two symmetrical halves

Derived forms of desmid

desmidian, adjective

Word Origin for desmid

C19: from New Latin Desmidium (genus name), from Greek desmos bond, from dein to bind