Diatom

//ˈdaɪ.ə.təm// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any of a group of minute unicellular algae having a siliceous covering of great delicacy, now categorized as class Diatomophyceae or division Bacillariophyta.

    "Diatoms are enclosed in two shells that fit together like a pillbox."

  2. 2
    A molecule composed of two atoms of the same element; a homonuclear diatomic molecule.

    "We show here, through a systematic study of the covalent chemical bond covering the entire periodic system, that the maximum bond multiplicity is six. The maximum value is reached by the tungsten diatom, W₂. No other pair of atoms in the periodic system (atomic numbers smaller than about 100) reaches a higher bond order."

  3. 3
    microscopic unicellular marine or freshwater colonial alga having cell walls impregnated with silica wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
algaeamebicamoebabacteriabeanbracken

Example

More examples

"Diatoms are enclosed in two shells that fit together like a pillbox."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From (deprecated) genus name Diatoma, from Ancient Greek διάτομος (diátomos, “cut through, cut in half”).

Etymology 2

From di- + atom.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.