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Definition of daphnia

daphnia

/ˈdæf.ni.ə/
daph · ni · a
Plural:daphnias
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daphnia Lexical Profile

daphnia Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

Any of various minute freshwater crustaceans of the genus Daphnia, belonging to the order Cladocera, characterized by a transparent shell-like carapace and distinctive jerky swimming movements; commonly known as a water flea.

Example

"During the biology lab, the students were able to observe the beating heart of a daphnia under a light microscope due to its transparent body."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for daphnia

• Nearby Words

danzig
dap
daphne
daphnia
dapper
dapperly
dapple

Word Origin & Etymology

From Modern Latin, named in 1785 by Danish naturalist O.F. Müller after Daphne, a nymph in Greek mythology, appending the taxonomic suffix '-ia'.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Daphnia. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/daphnia
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