anabaena in British English
(ˌænəˈbiːnə)
nounWord forms: plural -nas
any freshwater alga of the genus Anabaena, sometimes occurring in drinking water, giving it a fishy taste and smell
Word origin
New Latin, from Greek anabainein to shoot up, go up, from ana- + bainein to go; so called because they rise to the surface at intervalsanabaena in American English
(ˌænəˈbinə)
noun
1.
a freshwater blue-green alga (genus Anabaena), often growing in reservoirs, that may make the water taste or smell fishy
2.
a mass of such algae
Word origin
ModL < Gr anabainein: see AnabasisImage ofanabaena
© Sebastian Kaulitzki, shutterstock