flagellum

Noun
US[fluh-jel-uhm]/fləˈdʒɛləm/3 syllables
Synonyms: scourge

Open English WordNet

Noun (2)flagella, flagellums

  1. a whip used to inflict punishmentSynonyms: scourgeType of whip
  2. a lash-like appendage used for locomotion (e.g., in sperm cells and some bacteria and protozoa)Type of process, outgrowthPart of eubacteria, sperm

Related words scourge verb, flagellate noun

Word of the day · Oct 22About this word
burgeonverb

What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz

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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Fla·gel′lum noun; pl. E. Flagellums (#), L. Flagella (#).

Origin: L., a whip. See Flagellate, transitive verb

1. Botany A young, flexible shoot of a plant; esp., the long trailing branch of a vine, or a slender branch in certain mosses.

2. Zoology (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 portion of the antennæ and the epipodite of the maxilipeds. See Maxilliped.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54

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