uniflagellate
|u-ni-flag-el-late|
/ˌjuːnɪˈflædʒəleɪt/
having one flagellum
Etymology
'uniflagellate' originates from Latin, specifically the prefix 'uni-' from 'unus' meaning 'one' and 'flagellate' ultimately from Latin 'flagellum' meaning 'whip'.
'flagellum' in Latin passed into New/Neo-Latin and scientific usage as 'flagellate' in English; the combination with the prefix 'uni-' (from Latin 'unus') produced the modern scientific adjective 'uniflagellate'.
Initially the root 'flagellum' referred to a 'whip'; in scientific usage it came to mean a 'whip-like organelle' (flagellum), and 'uniflagellate' now specifically means 'having one flagellum'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an organism (often a protist or gamete) that possesses a single flagellum.
Researchers observed several uniflagellates in the water sample.
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Adjective 1
having a single flagellum (a whip-like organelle used for locomotion).
Many uniflagellate protists swim using a single posterior flagellum.
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Last updated: 2025/09/17 13:40