hydrogenosome

H4Y4D2R1O1G2E1N1O1S1O1M3E1
/haɪdɹoʊˈd͡ʒɛnəsoʊm/

noun

A membrane-bound form of organelles that produce molecular hydrogen and ATP in some anerobic ciliates, trichomonads and fungi, remarkable in that most forms contain no DNA.

Scrabble 23

Meanings

nounhydrogenosome (plural hydrogenosomes)

plural hydrogenosomes

  1. biologyA membrane-bound form of organelles that produce molecular hydrogen and ATP in some anerobic ciliates, trichomonads and fungi, remarkable in that most forms contain no DNA.
    1 more example

    Hydrogenosomes, like almost all other organelles, always grow by proliferation of preexisting organelles. Thus, each daughter cell will receive a complete set of organelles during cell division. Morphological evidence was presented showing that trichomonad hydrogenosomes, like mitochondria, may divide by three distinct processes: (1) segmentation, (2) heart-form division, and (3) partition. In the segmentation process, the hydrogenosome grows, becoming elongated with the appearance of a constriction in the central portion[…]

    2008, Marlene Benchimol, “Structure of the Hydrogenosome”, in Jan Tachezy, editor, Hydrogenosomes and Mitosomes: Mitochondria of Anaerobic Eukaryotes, Berlin Heidelberg: Springer, →ISBN, pages 75–96

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*wed-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*wódr̥
  3. Proto-Hellenic*údōr
  4. Ancient Greekῡ̆̔́δωρ (hū̆́dōr)
  5. Ancient Greekὑδρο- (hudro-)
  6. Frenchhydro-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*ǵenh₁-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*ǵénh₁os
  9. Proto-Hellenic*génos
  10. Ancient Greekγένος (génos)
  11. Frenchhydrogène
  12. Englishhydrogen
  13. Proto-Indo-European*tewh₂-
  14. Proto-Indo-European*twoH-mn̥
  15. Proto-Hellenic*twṓmə?
  16. Proto-Indo-European*styeH-
  17. Proto-Indo-European*(s)tyoH-mn̥
  18. Proto-Hellenic*styṓmə?
  19. Ancient Greekσῶμα (sôma)
  20. Englishhydrogenosome

From hydrogen + -o- + -some.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

hydrogenosome. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hydrogenosome

MLA

“hydrogenosome.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hydrogenosome. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hydrogenosome,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hydrogenosome.

Source: hydrogenosome on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.