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diatom Definition

dia·tom (e täm′, -təm)

noun

any of a class (Bacillariophyceae) of microscopic algae (division Chromophycota), one-celled or in colonies, whose cell walls consist of interlocking parts and valves and contain silica: diatoms are a source of food for all kinds of marine life

Etymology: ModL diatoma < Gr diatomos, cut in two < diatemnein, to cut through < dia-, through + temnein, to cut: see -tomy

diatom Related Forms

di′a·to·ma·ceous (dī′ə tə mās̸həs, dī at′ə-) adjective

diatom Usage Examples

Converse of subject

dominate: The phytoplankton increase produced by the iron fertilization was dominated by diatoms.

Converse of object

  • use: A multi basin study will be carried out using diatom, pigment and pollen analysis.
  • find: On examination I found some nice clean diatoms, many of them unbroken.
  • clean: The Center's digital image archive comprises some two hundred images of cleaned diatoms, generated by the site's authors.
  • contain: Some years ago I examined a smear of metal polish under the microscope and found it contained many diatoms.
  • know: Read Frithjof's fascinating Micscape article ' A second look at some well known test diatoms ' where this is discussed.
  • show: One of the slides showed diatoms from Port Townsend, situated a bit north of Seattle, USA, on the Pacific coast.

Adjective modifier

  • pennate: The earlier southern experiments showed a preference for pennate diatoms over flagellates.
  • marine: Identification of effective levels of a specific active substance against a series of marine diatoms.
  • large: The largest diatom on the picture measures about 200 microns in diameter.
  • centric: In the South, diatoms are favored over flagellates, and in the north, centric diatoms over pennate.
  • beautiful: We have 5 days of allocated science onboard in which to collect cores of deep sea sediments - made up of beautiful fossil diatoms!

Modifies a noun

  • frustule: The dots which are fine markings on the diatom frustule are now clearly seen.
  • assemblage: Prior to the onset of the 19 th Century, diatom assemblages suggest a little or no change in water acidity.
  • slide: The Spencer will now be my standard for looking at prepared diatom slides.
  • species: This provides strong evidence that climatic factors have influenced diatom species composition at this site over the last decade.
  • specie: A novel model based on principal curves representing the life cycle related shape variation of a number of diatom species has been developed.
  • analysis: Research projects typically involve interdisciplinary teams where we provide expertise in diatom analysis or the use of isotope ratios in diatoms.

Noun used with modifier

  • freshwater: Hypothesis: The rate and scale of dispersal of freshwater diatom species is a function of their global abundance.
  • test: Test diatoms - what you can expect to see even with modest objectives by Martin Mach.

Browse dictionary entries near diatom

  1. diathesis
  2. diathermy
  3. diathermic
  4. diathermancy
  5. diatessaron
  6. diastrophism
  7. diastole
  8. diaster
  9. diastema
  10. diastem
  1. diatomic
  2. diatomite
  3. diatonic
  4. diatribe
  5. diatropism
  6. Diaz, Porfirio
  7. diazepam
  8. diazine
  9. diazinon
  10. diazo