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Definition of Diatom
1. Noun. Microscopic unicellular marine or freshwater colonial alga having cell walls impregnated with silica.
Group relationships: Bacillariophyceae, Class Bacillariophyceae, Class Diatomophyceae, Diatomophyceae
Definition of Diatom
1. n. One of the Diatomaceæ, a family of minute unicellular Algæ having a siliceous covering of great delicacy, each individual multiplying by spontaneous division. By some authors diatoms are called Bacillariæ, but this word is not in general use.
Definition of Diatom
1. Noun. One of the ''Diatomaceae'', a family of minute unicellular algae having a siliceous covering of great delicacy. ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Definition of Diatom
1. any of a class of algae [n -S]
Medical Definition of Diatom
1. Algae of the division Bacillariophyta. They are largely unicellular and are characterised by having cell walls of hydrated silica embedded in an organic matrix. The cell walls are formed in two halves that fit together like the lid and base of a pillbox and often have elaborate patterns formed by pores. Diatoms are very abundant in marine and freshwater plankton. Deposits of the cell walls form diatomaceous or siliceous earths. This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology (11 Mar 2008)
Lexicographical Neighbors of Diatom
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