English Explanatory Dictionary

foraminifer

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Any of a large group of aquatic amoeboid protists of the subphylum Foraminifera, characterized by streaming granular ectoplasm that among other things is used for catching food, often with a calcareous shell with many holes through which pseudopodia protrude.

Pronunciation

/ˌfɒɹəˈmɪnɪfə/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-foraminifer.wav /ˌfɔɹəˈmɪnəfɚ/

Word forms

foraminifer foraminifers

Etymology

Borrowed from French foraminifère (“foraminifer, foraminifera”), from French Foraminifères, coined by the French naturalist Alcide d’Orbigny (1802–1857) in an 1826 article. By surface analysis, Latin forāmen (“apertures, holes”, stem foramin-) + -fer (“bearing”).

Synonyms

foram foraminifera foraminiferan foraminiferid foraminiferon foraminiferum

Related words

foramen Foraminifera foraminiferan foraminiferid foraminiferon foraminiferum

Derived words

foram foraminiferal foraminiferivore foraminiferivorous foraminiferological foraminiferologist foraminiferology foraminiferous
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