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des•mid

(dĕsmĭd)

Any of various green unicellular chiefly freshwater algae of the order Desmidiales, reproducing through conjugation and sometimes forming filaments or colonies.

[FromNew LatinDesmidiāceae, family name, fromDesmidium, type genus, fromGreekdesmos, bond, fromdein, to bind.]

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desmid

filamentous desmid

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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