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cyanobacteria

1 American  
[sahy-uh-noh-bak-teer-ee-uh, sahy-an-oh-] / ˌsaɪ ə noʊ bækˈtɪər i ə, saɪˌæn oʊ- /

plural noun

singular

cyanobacterium

  1. Microbiology. a widely distributed group of photosynthetic bacteria, occurring singly or in colonies in terrestrial and aquatic habitats: often mistakenly referred to as algae, especially when called by their most common misnomer, blue-green algae .

Cyanobacteria 2 American  
[sahy-uh-noh-bak-teer-ee-uh, sahy-an-oh-] / ˌsaɪ ə noʊ bækˈtɪər i ə, saɪˌæn oʊ- /

noun

Microbiology.

  1. the phylum, or subkingdom, that comprises the cyanobacteria.

cyanobacteria British  
/ ˌsaɪənəʊbækˈtɪərɪə /

plural noun

  1. Former name: blue-green algae.  a group of photosynthetic bacteria (phylum Cyanobacteria ) containing a blue photosynthetic pigment

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cyanobacteria1

First recorded in 1975–80; cyano- 1 + bacteria

Origin of Cyanobacteria2

See cyanobacteria ( def. )

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.