noun pl. flagella -·la (-ə) or flagellums -·lums

1. a whip
2. Biol. a whiplike part or process of some cells, esp. of certain bacteria, protozoans, etc., that is an organ of locomotion or produces a current in the surrounding fluid
3. Bot. a threadlike shoot or runner
4. Zool. the terminal, lashlike portion of the antenna in many insects

Etymology: L, a whip: see flagellate