A long, whip-like appendage that extends from certain cells and provides motility through undulating movements. Found in sperm cells, bacteria, and some single-celled organisms.
From Latin 'flagellum' meaning 'whip', derived from 'flagellare' meaning 'to whip'. The term was adopted in biology in the 1800s due to the whip-like motion of these structures during cellular locomotion.
Bacterial flagella are like biological outboard motors that can spin at 1,000 rotations per second! Unlike the whip-like motion of eukaryotic flagella, bacterial flagella actually rotate like propellers, powered by a molecular motor that uses the cell's energy currency.
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