flagellum
/fləˈd͡ʒɛləm/ noun
Forms flagella flagellums flagellae
- noun (biology) In protists, a long, whiplike membrane-enclosed organelle used for locomotion or feeding.
- noun (biology) In bacteria, a long, whiplike proteinaceous appendage, used for locomotion.
- noun (formal) A whip.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Latin flagellum (“whip”), diminutive of flagrum.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A young, flexible shoot of a plant; esp., the long trailing branch of a vine, or a slender branch in certain mosses.
- noun (a) A long, whiplike cilium. See Flagellata.
Etymology [L., a whip. See Flagellate, v. t.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “flagellum”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details