alga

al·ga  (lg)

n. pl. al·gae (-j)

Any of various chiefly aquatic, eukaryotic, photosynthetic organisms, ranging in size from single-celled forms to the giant kelp. Algae were once considered to be plants but are now classified separately because they lack true roots, stems, leaves, and embryos.

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[Latin, seaweed.]

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algal (lgl) adj.

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alga  (lg)

Plural algae (lj)

Any of various green, red, or brown organisms that grow mostly in water, ranging in size from single cells to large spreading seaweeds. Like plants, algae manufacture their own food through photosynthesis and release large amounts of oxygen into the atmosphere. They also fix large amounts of carbon, which would otherwise exist in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Algae form a major component of marine plankton and are often visible as pond scum and blooms in tidal pools. Land species mostly live in moist soil and on tree trunks or rocks. Some species live in extreme environments, such as deserts, hot springs, and glaciers. Although they were once classified as plants, the algae are now considered to be protists, with the exception of the cyanobacteria, formerly called blue-green algae. The algae do not form a distinct phylogenetic group, but the word alga serves as a convenient catch-all term for various photosynthetic protist phyla, including the green algae, brown algae, and red algae.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

alga - primitive chlorophyll-containing mainly aquatic eukaryotic organisms lacking true stems and roots and leaves algae protoctist - any of the unicellular protists seaweed - plant growing in the sea, especially marine algae golden algae - algae having the pigments chlorophyll and carotene and xanthophyll yellow-green algae - any alga of the division Chrysophyta with its chlorophyll masked by yellow pigment diatom - microscopic unicellular marine or freshwater colonial alga having cell walls impregnated with silica confervoid algae - algae resembling confervae especially in having branching filaments brown algae - algae having the chlorophyll masked by brown and yellow pigments euglenid, euglenoid, euglenophyte - marine and freshwater green or colorless flagellate organism chlorophyte, green algae - algae that are clear green in color; often growing on wet ricks or damp wood or the surface of stagnant water chlorella - any alga of the genus Chlorella red algae - marine algae in which the chlorophyll is masked by a red or purplish pigment; source of agar and carrageenan cryptomonad, cryptophyte - common in fresh and salt water appearing along the shore as algal blooms

Translations

alga [ˈælgə] N (algae (pl)) [ˈældʒiː] → alga f