foraminifera

== English == === Etymology === 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”). === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌfɒɹəmɪˈnɪfəɹə/, /ˌfɒɹəmɪˈnɪfɹə/, /fəˌɹæmɪˈnɪf(ə)ɹə/ (General American) IPA(key): /fəˌɹæməˈnɪf(ə)ɹə/ Hyphenation: for‧a‧min‧if‧era === 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”). [from mid 19th c.] ==== Usage notes ==== It has been suggested it is acceptable to use either foraminifera (plural foraminifera or foraminiferas) or foraminifer (plural foraminifers) as long as one form of the word and its plural(s) are used consistently throughout a text. ==== Derived terms ==== foraminifer foraminiferivore foraminiferivorous ==== Translations ==== === Noun === foraminifera plural of foraminiferon plural of foraminiferum === References ===