Meanings
plural blue-green algae
- Any member of the taxonomic class or phylum Cyanobacteria; a primitive photosynthetic organism similar to bacteria which is thought to have generated the first oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere.
Blue-green algae cells lack nuclei, and pigment is scattered.
1967, George K. Reid, edited by Herbert S. Zim and George S. Fichter, Pond Life, New York: Golden Press, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 311 more example
Northern Ireland’s Lough Neagh, the largest lake in the British Isles, has been hit by recorded levels of potentially toxic blue-green algae that regional agencies say have not been seen since the 1970s.
2023 August 23, Tommy Greene, “Lough Neagh ‘dying in plain sight’ due to vast algal blooms”, in The Guardian, →ISSNSynonyms: BGA, cyanobacterium
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny member of the taxonomic class or phylum Cyanobacteria; a primitive photosynthetic organism similar to bacteria which is thought to have generated the first oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere.
Translations
Czech sinice
- sinicemember of cyanobacteria
Dutch blauwalg
- blauwalgmember of cyanobacteria
Finnish sinibakteeri, sinilevä
- sinibakteerimember of cyanobacteria
- sinilevämember of cyanobacteria
- syanobakteerimember of cyanobacteria
French algue bleu-vert
- algue bleu-vertmember of cyanobacteria
Greek κυανοφύκη
- κυανοφύκη (kyanofýki)member of cyanobacteria
Italian cianobatterio
- cianobatteriomember of cyanobacteria
Polish sinica, cyjanobakteria
- sinicamember of cyanobacteria
- cyjanobakteriamember of cyanobacteria
Cite this entry
blue-green alga. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blue-green%20alga
“blue-green alga.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blue-green%20alga. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “blue-green alga,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blue-green%20alga.
Source: blue-green alga on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.