algaladj.n.
/ˈalɡl/, U.S. /ˈælɡ(ə)l/ A. adj.
Of, relating to, or characteristic of an alga, esp. a seaweed; that is an alga, or that consists of algae.Recorded earliest in Algal alliance n. at Compounds.
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the world > plants > particular plants > algae > [adjective]
algous1731
algal1846
algoid1852
1846 J. Lindley Veg. Kingdom 8 The near approach of the two realms being through the Algal alliance.
1853 Proc. Royal Irish Acad. 1850–3 5 481 I have also observed the occurrence of certain microscopic forms of vegetation;..vegetable filaments, and certain algal forms, being developed in considerable quantities.
1862 H. Macmillan in Macmillan's Mag. Oct. 465 Merely an algal condition of the common mould.
1882 W. P. James Guesses Purpose in Nat. x. 185 In ages of which no stony records are left a glorious and magnificent algal vegetation may have flourished in primeval seas.
1906 Gardeners’ Chron. 19 May 320/1 He refused his assent to the opinion that Lichens are of a dual nature, partly fungal, partly algal.
1946 Nature 21 Sept. 421/2 A burst of algal growth may sometimes cease before any serious depletion of the mineral nutrient in the water has apparently taken place.
1984 Times 13 Oct. 10/4 The algal invader takes over genetic control of its host, like a hijacker taking control of an aircraft.
2005 New Yorker 9 May 7/1 Alzheimer's should make people wary about consuming algal supplements as health foods.
B. n.
An alga or related organism; in early use chiefly with reference to the former taxonomic group Algales (see Algal alliance n. at Compounds). Now rare.
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the world > plants > particular plants > algae > [noun] > alga
alga?1527
flag1778
algal1846
Algal alliance1846
algs1867
macroalga1976
1846 J. Lindley Veg. Kingdom 30 Lichens and Algals do not derive nutriment from the substance on which they grow, but from the medium in which they are generated.
1880 Trans. Woolhope Naturalists’ Field Club 1875 141 The Red Sea produces a local Algal that has been noticed to redden its surface to such an extent that vessels have taken days to pass through it.
1907 Haslemere Mus. Gaz. Mar. 488 We have mosses, algals, fungi and lichens of various kinds all flourishing on our oak stem.
2009 M. A. Mitchell & T. N. Tully Man. Exotic Pet Pract. 32/2 Multiple types of parasites affect echinoderms, including apicomplexans, amoebans, ciliates, algals, [etc.].
Compounds
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > algae > [noun] > alga
alga?1527
flag1778
algal1846
Algal alliance1846
algs1867
macroalga1976
the world > plants > particular plants > algae > seaweed > [noun]
sea-frothc1440
wrekec1440
ooze?c1475
wreck1499
wrack1513
moss1543
reek1545
wrake1547
sea-wrack1551
seaweed1577
varec1676
wreck-weed1821
Algal alliance1846
wreck-ware1865
1846Algal alliance [see sense A.].
1860 C. Dresser Unity in Variety i. 1 (caption) It [sc. Oscillatoria nigro-viridis] belongs to the order Confervaceæ, of the Algal alliance, and to the class of Thallogens.
algal mat n. an assemblage of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) or other photosynthetic microorganisms forming a dense flat mass, esp. on or within the surface layer of an aquatic sediment.
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1915 Entomol. News 26 4 During the summer these forms oviposited mostly upon the weeds or algal mats out in the stream.
1961 G. K. Reid Ecol. Inland Waters & Estuaries xii. 236 Special habitats such as oyster reefs, mussel assemblages, and algal mats characteristically support proboscis worms as conspicuous members of the local communities.
1983 D. L. Baars Colorado Plateau i. 10 When the next layer of sediments is brought on the high tide and trapped and bound down by the algal mat, another lamina is produced.
2009 Sci. News 7 Nov. 24/1 (caption) The constant roiling of sediments prevents algal mats and sea grasses from becoming established.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2012; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adj.n.1846