desmid

English - English

Definition of desmid in English English dictionary

Any of about 5000 species of mostly unicellular freshwater green algae belonging to the order Desmidiales

Desmids, which are exclusively freshwater algae, are so named because the first of these green microorganisms to be described were thought to be pairs of cells joined together, and the Greek word 'desmos' means a bond or chain.

A microscopic plant of the family Desmidiæ, a group of unicellular algæ in which the species have a greenish color, and the cells generally appear as if they consisted of two coalescing halves

Any of a group of one-celled, microscopic green algae characterized by great variation in cell shape. Typically the cell is divided symmetrically into semicells connected at a central point. Desmids are found worldwide, usually in acid bogs or lakes. Since most species have a limited range, the presence of specific desmids is helpful in characterizing water samples

freshwater green algae

Hyphenation

des·mid

Etymology

() From Ancient Greek δεσμός (desmos, “ligature, ligament, bond”).