n :  a branched arrangement of the cells of certain filamentous bacteria and algae resulting from a slipping of the end of one cell past that of another following cell division, from continued growth of the free end of a trichome through the sheath in various blue-green algae, or esp. from continued growth in a different direction of parts of a filament separated by one or more intervening cells - see LEPTOTHRIX  .
 
 
 
Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.  © 1997-2024.