kəˈrāsēˌē noun plural
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from Chara, type genus + -aceae
: a family of aquatic green algae (order Charales) comprising the stoneworts, resembling the horsetails in general appearance, and having jointed stems with whorls of slender branchlike leaves at the joints — see chara , nitella
• char·a·ceous -shəs adjective