kənˈfərvə noun
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, a water plant, from confervēre to boil together, grow together, heal, from com- + fervēre, fervere to boil; from its supposed healing power — more at burn
1. capitalized , in some especially former classifications : a genus of filamentous green algae containing a number of species of doubtful relationship many of which are now usually placed in the genus Tribonema
2. plural confer·vae -(ˌ)vē : an alga of the genus Tribonema ; broadly : any of various filamentous algae that form scums in still or sluggish fresh water