Algae
/ˈæl.dʒiː/noun
Simple non-flowering photosynthetic organisms, especially those found in water.
Did you know?The modern scientific word comes from Latin, where algae was a plural noun meaning “seaweed” or “sea plant,” and it likely has no deeper magical origin beyond the sea itself.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂el-
“A root meaning “to grow” or “to nourish,” proposed by some scholars but not certain for this word.”
Latin
Latin
alga
“Seaweed; sea plant.”
Classical Latin
Latin
algae
“Plural of alga, used for seaweeds.”
16th Century
New Latin
algae
“A learned scientific plural used in botanical classification.”
Modern English
English
algae
“A broad group of simple photosynthetic organisms, especially aquatic forms.”