Definitions for "Diatom"
One of the Diatomaceæ, a family of minute unicellular Algæ having a siliceous covering of great delicacy, each individual multiplying by spontaneous division. By some authors diatoms are called Bacillariæ, but this word is not in general use.
Common name for a common class of algae, noted for the symetry and sculpturing of their siliceous walls.
a photosynthetic single celled organism enclosed by a shell of silica.
A particle or atom endowed with the vital principle.