n.
Pronunciation: ' d ī - ə - ˌ täm
Function: noun
Etymology: ultimately from Greek diatomos cut in half, from diatemnein to cut through, from dia- + temnein to cut ― more at TOME
Date: 1845
: any of a class (Bacillariophyceae) of minute planktonic unicellular or colonial algae with silicified skeletons that form diatomaceous earth