Dinophysidales

plural noun

Di·​no·​phys·​i·​da·​les
-ˌfizəˈdā(ˌ)lēz
: an order of algae (class Dinophyceae) having the cell wall made up of a definite number of plates arranged in a fixed pattern and vertically divided into two similar halves or valves compare desmokontae

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, from Dinophysid-, taken as stem of Dinophysis, a typical genus (from dino- dino- + Greek phýsis "nature, outer form") + -ales -ales

Note: The genus name Dinophysis was introduced by the German zoologist and microbiologist Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg (1795-1876) in Bericht über die zur Bekanntmachung geeigneten Verhandlungen der Königl. Preuss. Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin—Aus dem Jahre 1839, p. 157.

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Cite this Entry

“Dinophysidales.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Dinophysidales. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

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