| bathybius | <zoology> A name given by Prof. Huxley to a gelatinous substance found in mud dredged from the Atlantic and preserved in alcohol. He supposed that it was free living protoplasm, covering a large part of the ocean bed. It is now known that the substance is of chemical, not of organic, origin. Origin: NL, fr. Gr. Deep + life. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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