alga

noun

al·ga | \ ˈal-gə

plural algae\ ˈal-(ˌ)jē

\ also algas

Definition of alga

: 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

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In Florida and Texas, red tides are caused by an alga called Karenia brevis. — Tom Metcalfe, NBC News, "What is red tide?," 13 July 2019 Studies of Volvox, an alga that forms beautiful, flagellated green balls, shows that multicellular organisms also found new ways to use existing functions. — Elizabeth Pennisi, Science | AAAS, "The momentous transition to multicellular life may not have been so hard after all," 28 June 2018 By looking at frozen samples under an electron microscope, scientists were able to zero in on nanostructures in the alga’s cells that are about 1000 times smaller than a human hair is thick. — Kai Kupferschmidt, Science | AAAS, "Scientists uncover the secret behind shimmering seaweed," 13 Apr. 2018 In high tide, when less light reaches the alga, the crystals may capture some of the sunlight and pass it on to the surrounding chloroplasts for photosynthesis. — Kai Kupferschmidt, Science | AAAS, "Scientists uncover the secret behind shimmering seaweed," 13 Apr. 2018 The consequent flood of data is helping researchers determine which genes are behind a coral’s, an alga’s or a bacterium’s fragility or resilience. — The Economist, "Mass die-offs are driving efforts to create hardier corals," 15 Mar. 2018 This distinctive form of the freshwater alga Aegagropila linnaei is exceedingly rare. — National Geographic, "One of the World's Most Unusual Plants Is Disappearing," 8 Sep. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'alga.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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22 Jul 2019

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The first known use of alga was in 1551

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alga

noun

al·ga | \ ˈal-gə

plural algae\ ˈal-ˌjē \

Kids Definition of alga

: any of a large group of simple plants and plant-like organisms (as a seaweed) that usually grow in water and produce chlorophyll like plants but do not produce seeds