Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

any of a group of photosynthetic microorganisms possessing characteristics of both bacteria and plants. When classed as bacteria, they are assigned to the Cyanobacteria; when classed as plants, they are assigned to the Cyanophyta. They are now known to be prokaryotic, and are usually called cyanobacteria in technical contexts. See cyanobacterium.