Cyanobacteria

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  cyanobacterium \cyanobacterium\ pl. cyanobacteria
  \cyanobacteria\ [from the pigment phycocyanin.]
     any of a group of photosynthetic autotrophic prokaryotic
     microorganisms possessing characteristics of both bacteria
     and plants. When classed as bacteria, they are assigned to
     the Cyanobacteria; when classed as plants, they are assigned


     to the Cyanophyta. They were earlier named {blue-green
     algae}, a term less used now in technical discussions. Since
     the chlorophyll within the cyanobacteria is diffused
     throughout the cell, rather than being contained in
     chloroplasts, they are no longer thought of as true plants.
     [PJC]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  blue-green alga \blue"-green al"ga\ pl. {blue"-green al"gae}
     [from the color and resemblance to algae.]
     any of a group of photosynthetic microorganisms possessing
     characteristics of both bacteria and plants. When classed as
     bacteria, they are assigned to the Cyanobacteria; when
     classed as plants, they are assigned to the Cyanophyta. They
     are now known to be prokaryotic, and are usually called
     {cyanobacteria} in technical contexts. See {cyanobacterium}.
     [PJC]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  cyanobacteria
       n : predominantly photosynthetic prokaryotic organisms
           containing a blue pigment in addition to chlorophyll;
           occur singly or in colonies in diverse habitats;
           important as phytoplankton [syn: {blue-green algae}]