n.
Pronunciation: nu ̇ - ' ma-t ə - ˌ fo ̇ r, nyu ̇ -
Function: noun
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary
Date: 1859
1 : a muscular gas-containing sac that serves as a float on a siphonophore colony
2 : a usually partially exposed root of a wetland plant (as a mangrove) that functions especially in the intake of oxygen from the atmosphere