n.
Pronunciation: ' al-g ə
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural al · gae \ ' al-( ˌ )j ē \ also algas
Etymology: Latin, seaweed
Date: 1551
: a plant or plantlike organism of any of several phyla, divisions, or classes of chiefly aquatic usually chlorophyll-containing nonvascular organisms of polyphyletic origin that usually include the green, yellow-green, brown, and red algae in the eukaryotes and especially formerly the cyanobacteria in the prokaryotes
– al · gal \ -g ə l \ adjective