aegagropila
noun
ae·ga·grop·i·la
ˌē-gə-ˈgrä-pə-lə
1
or less commonly aegagropile or egagropile plural aegagropilas or aegagropilae
ē-ˈga-grō-ˌpīl
ˌē-gə-ˈgrä-pə-ˌlē
also aegagropiles or egagropiles : a ball of hair or a concretion found in the stomach of the goat and other ruminants 2
plural aegagropilas or aegagropilae : a ball-shaped mass of hairlike filaments formed by some algae (as certain species of the genus Cladophora)
3
capitalized in some classifications : a genus of algae comprising all forms forming aegagropilas
aegagropilous adjective
¦ē-gə-¦grä-pə-ləs
Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from Greek aigagros + Latin pila ball, from pilus hair
First Known Use
1699, in the meaning defined at sense 1