noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A sac containing otoliths, found in medusae and other invertebrates.
2. 2
   A small, siliceous structure found in diatoms and some other types of algae that fills with gas or oil, controlling the buoyancy of the algae.

Synonyms

All synonyms

crystal cell

Etymology

From litho- + cyst.

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