foraminifera
Syllables: for·a·min·if·era/ˌfɒɹəmɪˈnɪfəɹə/US/fəˌɹæməˈnɪf(ə)ɹə/
foraminifera noun: synonym of foraminifer (“any of a large group of aquatic amoeboid protists of the subphylum Foraminifera, characterized by streaming granular ectoplasm that among other things is used for catching food, often with a calcareous shell with many holes through which pseudopodia protrude”). Also the plural of foraminiferon.
Noun
foraminifera (plural foraminifera or foraminiferas)
- Synonym of foraminifer (“any of a large group of aquatic amoeboid protists of the subphylum Foraminifera, characterized by streaming granular ectoplasm that among other things is used for catching food, often with a calcareous shell with many holes through which pseudopodia protrude”).
- This elegant Foraminifera has long been one of the best known of recent species; in its young state it is one of the most abundant organisms in the Cuban sand: in this immature form it appears a Foraminifera of the ordinary spiral type; […]1850, J. W., “Proceedings of the Microscopical Society of London. [Report of William Crawford Williamson’s paper “On the Minute Structure of the Calcareous Shells of Some Recent Species of...
- By the slow accumulation of dead shells, corals, &c., cemented by the smaller tests of foraminifera, the Coralline Crag eventually attained a thickness of fifty feet.1872, J[ohn] E[llor] Taylor, “The Story of the ‘Crags’”, in M[ordecai] C[ubitt] Cooke, editor, Hardwicke’s Science-Gossip: An Illustrated Medium of Interchange and Gossip for Students and Lovers of...
- Synonyms:
- foraminifer
Also used as
foraminifera is also the plural of foraminiferon.
foraminifera is also the plural of foraminiferum.
Examples of foraminifera in a sentence
- Careful preparation of a fragment of chalk usually brings to light remains, sometimes well preserved, of foraminifera (Rotalina ornata, Cristellaria rotulata, Globigerina bulloides).1879, A. Ge., “GEOLOGY”, in The Encyclopædia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and General Literature, 9th edition, volume X...
- Yet more wonderful and beautiful than the Amœbas are the Rhizopoda called Foraminiferas.1882, N[ancy] D’Anvers [pseudonym; Nancy Regina Emily Meugens Bell], Lowest Forms of Water Animals: An Illustrated Natural History Reader...
- Backboneless animals precede those with backbones and the minute foraminifera—bits of jelly in shells—species with a more complex organisation.1890, “Geographical Distribution of Living Beings: Plants; Limiting Agents”, in Robert Brown, editor, Our Earth and Its Story: A Popular...
- The articles are diatoms, spiculas, foraminiferas, and polycystines mounted on microscope slides.1894 August 21, Wilkinson, general appraiser, “Specimens of Natural History on Microscope Slides, Free”, in Synopsis of the Decisions of...
Synonyms of foraminifera
Forms of foraminifera
| plural | foraminifera |
|---|---|
| plural | foraminiferas |
Origin of foraminifera
Learned borrowing from New Latin Foraminifera (subphylum name), from French foraminifère (“foraminifer, foraminifera”), from French Foraminifères, coined by the French naturalist Alcide d’Orbigny (1802–1857) in an 1826 article. Foraminifère is derived from Latin forāmina (“apertures, holes”) + -fer (“-bearing”).
Words formed from foraminifera
Questions about foraminifera
- What does foraminifera mean?
- Foraminifera means synonym of foraminifer (“any of a large group of aquatic amoeboid protists of the subphylum Foraminifera, characterized by streaming granular ectoplasm that among other things is used for catching food, often with a calcareous shell with many holes through which pseudopodia protrude”).
- How do you use foraminifera in a sentence?
- Careful preparation of a fragment of chalk usually brings to light remains, sometimes well preserved, of foraminifera (Rotalina ornata, Cristellaria rotulata, Globigerina bulloides).
- What part of speech is foraminifera?
- Foraminifera is a noun.
- How do you pronounce foraminifera?
- Foraminifera is pronounced /ˌfɒɹəmɪˈnɪfəɹə/ (UK).
- What is the plural of foraminifera?
- The plural of foraminifera is foraminifera.
Words near foraminifera in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: foraminifera (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-foraminifera.wav.
Cite this entry: “foraminifera.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/foraminifera. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.