any of a group of unicellular biflagellate aquatic organisms forming a constituent of plankton: now usually classified as a phylum of protoctists (Dinoflagellata)
adjective
2.
of or relating to dinoflagellates
Word origin
C19: from New Latin Dinoflagellata, from Greek dinos whirling + flagellum + -ate1
dinoflagellate in American English
(ˌdaɪnoʊˈflædʒəlɪt; ˌdaɪnəˈflædʒəˌleɪt)
noun
any of a class (Dinophyceae) of single-celled algae (division Chromophycota), mainly marine and often with a cellulose shell: some species are luminescent, and some cause the red tides that are extremely toxic to marine life: also classified in a class (Dinoflagellata) of protozoans
Word origin
< ModL Dinoflagellata < Gr dinos, rotation (< IE base *deye-, to swing, whirl > OIr dīan, swift) + ModL flagellum (see flagellum) + -ata, L, neut. pl. of -atus: see -ate1
Examples of 'dinoflagellate' in a sentence
dinoflagellate
"He pulled a test tube, containing the Sangre de Dios dinoflagellate DNA pellet, out of a padded box.