1.
[syn: scourge, flagellum]
2. a lash-like appendage used for locomotion (e.g., in sperm cells and some bacteria and protozoa);
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Flagellum \Fla*gel"lum\, n.; pl. E. Flagellums, L. Flagella.
[L., a whip. See Flagellate, v. t.]
1. (Bot.) A young, flexible shoot of a plant; esp., the long
trailing branch of a vine, or a slender branch in certain
mosses.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Zool.)
(a) A long, whiplike cilium. See Flagellata.
(b) An appendage of the reproductive apparatus of the
snail.
(c) A lashlike appendage of a crustacean, esp. the
terminal ortion of the antenn[ae] and the epipodite of
the maxilipeds. See Maxilliped.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
flagellum
n 1: a whip used to inflict punishment (often used for pedantic
humor) [syn: scourge, flagellum]
2: a lash-like appendage used for locomotion (e.g., in sperm
cells and some bacteria and protozoa)