desmid

noun

des·mid ˈdez-məd

: any of numerous unicellular or colonial green algae (order Zygnematales, especially family Desmidiaceae)

Word History

Etymology

from the stem of New Latin Desmidiaceae, family name (as if ending in -id entry 1), from Desmidium, genus name (from Greek desmós "something that ties or attaches, (in plural) bonds, chain" —from déō, deîn "to bind, tie" + -smos, noun suffix— + -idion, diminutive suffix) + -aceae -aceae — more at diadem

Note: The taxonomic literature credits the description of the genus Desmidium to the English botanist John Ralfs (1807-90), in The British Desmidieæ (London, 1848), p. 61. Ralfs took the name Desmidium swartzii from an earlier description by the Swedish clergyman and botanist Carl Adolph Agardh (1785-1859), in Systema algarum (Lund, 1824), p. 9.

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of desmid was in 1862

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Style

“Desmid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desmid. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

desmid

noun

des·mid ˈdez-məd

: any of numerous single-celled or colonial green algae

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desmid

noun

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