conferva Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun any of various algae of the genus Tribonema; algae with branching filaments that form scum in still or stagnant fresh water

WordNet

Con*fer"va noun
Etymology
L., a kind of water plant. See Comfrey.
Wordforms
plural Confervæ
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) Any unbranched, slender, green plant of the fresh-water algae. The word is frequently used in a wider sense.

Webster 1913