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flagellum

   Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
fla·gel·lum  (fl-jlm)
n. pl. fla·gel·la (-jl)
1. Biology A long, threadlike appendage, especially a whiplike extension of certain cells or unicellular organisms that functions as an organ of locomotion.
2. A whip.

[Latin, diminutive of flagrum, whip.]

flagellum [fləˈdʒɛləm]
n pl -la [-lə], -lums
1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biology) Biology a long whiplike outgrowth from a cell that acts as an organ of locomotion: occurs in some protozoans, gametes, spores, etc.
2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Botany) Botany a long thin supple shoot or runner
3. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) Zoology the terminal whiplike part of an arthropod's appendage, esp of the antenna of many insects
[from Latin: a little whip, from flagrum a whip, lash]
flagellar  adj

flagellum  (fl-jlm)
Plural flagella
A slender whiplike part extending from some single-celled organisms, such as the dinoflagellates, that moves rapidly back and forth to impart movement to the organism.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.flagellumflagellum - a whip used to inflict punishment (often used for pedantic humor)
whip - an instrument with a handle and a flexible lash that is used for whipping
2.flagellum - a lash-like appendage used for locomotion (e.g., in sperm cells and some bacteria and protozoa)
eubacteria, eubacterium, true bacteria - a large group of bacteria having rigid cell walls; motile types have flagella
sperm, sperm cell, spermatozoan, spermatozoon - the male reproductive cell; the male gamete; "a sperm is mostly a nucleus surrounded by little other cellular material"
appendage, outgrowth, process - a natural prolongation or projection from a part of an organism either animal or plant; "a bony process"


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Beyond this, there are specific effects that have to do with the small extrusions on cells that are known as flagella (each flagellum is a single tail-like structure) and cilia (a series of long extrusions on the surfaces of cells facing internal body cavities).
The first group is known as chytridiomycota these are true fungi and they have a single flagellum at the rear of the cell, this flagellum propels the mold cell through the water just like the flagellum at the rear of a sperm cell propels sperm cells.
How could such an organism have evolved, Behe might inquire, when the absence of any one protein would render the flagellum completely useless?
 
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