diatom

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di·a·tom

 (dī′ə-tŏm′)
n.
Any of various microscopic one-celled or colonial heterokonts of the class Bacillariophyceae that are photosynthetic, have a silica cell wall made up of two interlocking parts, and form an important component of phytoplankton.

[New Latin diatoma, from Greek diatomos, cut in half, from diatemnein, to cut in half : dia-, dia- + temnein, to cut; see tem- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

diatom

(ˈdaɪətəm; -ˌtɒm)
n
(Microbiology) any microscopic unicellular alga of the phylum Bacillariophyta, occurring in marine or fresh water singly or in colonies, each cell having a cell wall made of two halves and impregnated with silica. See also diatomite
[C19: from New Latin Diatoma (genus name), from Greek diatomos cut in two, from diatemnein to cut through, from dia- + temnein to cut]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

di•a•tom

(ˈdaɪ ə təm, -ˌtɒm)

n.
any of numerous mostly marine algae of the class Bacillariophyceae (phylum Chrysophyta), each one-celled alga being enclosed in an intricately patterned double shell of silica, one shell fitting over the other like a box lid.
[1835–45; < New Latin Diatoma orig. a genus name, feminine n. based on Greek diátomos cut in two. See dia-, -tome]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

di·a·tom

(dī′ə-tŏm′)
Any of various microscopic one-celled algae that live in water, have hard shells composed mostly of silica, and often live in colonies. Diatom shells are made of two symmetrical parts called valves.

diatomaceous (dī′ə-tə-mā′shəs) adjective
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.diatom - microscopic unicellular marine or freshwater colonial alga having cell walls impregnated with silicadiatom - microscopic unicellular marine or freshwater colonial alga having cell walls impregnated with silica
phytoplankton - photosynthetic or plant constituent of plankton; mainly unicellular algae
alga, algae - primitive chlorophyll-containing mainly aquatic eukaryotic organisms lacking true stems and roots and leaves
Bacillariophyceae, class Bacillariophyceae, class Diatomophyceae, Diatomophyceae - marine and freshwater eukaryotic algae: diatoms
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
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References in classic literature ?
The little spindle-shaped things in the centre are diatoms and may be disregarded since they are probably vegetable rather than animal.
Right away, the researchers noted that when they exposed diatoms to moderate levels of ROS, the diatom cells formed two distinct groups: Many were quite sensitive to the ROS message and initiated their emergency cell death programs, whereas others appeared to be resilient - able to respond to the signal by acclimating.
Diatoms and testaceous amoebae are free-living, calcareous protists 2 to 2 000 pm in size (Licea et al., 1996; Moreno et al., 1997).
Among the most important groups of microalgae in terms of abundance are diatoms, and recently they are gaining interest by its multiple applications and several studies have reported the modification of their biochemical composition by different parameters (Bozarth et al., 2009).
Most of this occurs as diatoms and infusoria, forams, and copepods; indeed, almost every floe in its lower layers is stained yellow from the presence of millions of small diatoms allied to Corethron.
The poor dispersal capabilities of diatoms represent a strong constraint to their spatial distribution along the longitudinal dimension of rivers (Kristiansen, 1996).
[USA], Oct 21 (ANI): According to a recent study, unicellular diatoms are able to adapt their behaviour to different external stimuli based on an evaluation of their own needs.
Silica is needed by a group of marine algae (the microscopic plants of the oceans) called diatoms, who use it to build their glassy cell walls (known as frustules).
Abalone feed on diatoms during the postsettlement phase (1-10 mm) during which time the digestive system develops and reaches maturity (Johnston et al.
The main component in Diatomixs smart cleaner is diatomaceous earth a fine powder of soft sedimentary rock that contains the fossilized remains of extremely tiny aquatic organisms called diatoms. The highly absorptive nature of diatomaceous earth allows it to pull VOCs from the air, but the Diatomix product doesnt stop the process there.