foraminifer
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9.9
- noun
- /fəˈræmɪnɪfər/
- Specialized
- The researcher found a rare foraminifer in the sediment sample, which indicated the environmental conditions of the ancient ocean.
Examples
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Sediment samples revealed thousands of tiny foraminifers from the ancient seabed.
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The scientist examined the foraminifer under a powerful microscope.
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A single foraminifer can produce a remarkably intricate shell structure.
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The foraminifer is a fascinating organism.
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Some foraminifera are used in climate studies.
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Under the microscope, the foraminifer displayed its intricate shell structure and the tiny openings for pseudopods.
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Scientists often examine foraminifers because their shells can provide important clues about historical climate changes.
Synonyms
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9.9
A tiny sea creature with a hard shell that has small holes for thin arms used to move and eat
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9.9
Single-celled sea organisms with small holes in their hard shells often found as fossils
Surface Forms
Morphology
foraminifer = foramen (opaque) = foramin + ifer
A learned Latin compound used in scientific nomenclature ('foramin-' + '-ifer') that is unlikely to be interpretable by an average B1 learner because the combining form and the suffix are specialized and non-productive in general English.
Etymology
Foraminifer comes from the Latin parts foramen 'hole' and -fer 'to carry', as in transfer. So it literally means a 'hole-bearer' and fits a tiny sea creature whose shell has many small openings for its thin extensions.