Main Entry:

al·ga

Pronunciation:

\ˈal-gə\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural al·gae \ˈal-(ˌ)jē\ also algas

Etymology:

Latin, seaweed

Date:

1551

: a plant or plantlike organism of any of several phyla, divisions, or classes of chiefly aquatic usually chlorophyll-containing nonvascular organisms of polyphyletic origin that usually include the green, yellow-green, brown, and red algae in the eukaryotes and especially formerly the cyanobacteria in the prokaryotes

— al·gal \-gəl\ adjective