Flagellum

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A flagellum (; pl.: flagella) (Latin for 'whip' or 'scourge') is a hair-like appendage that protrudes from certain plant and animal sperm cells, from fungal spores (zoospores), and from a wide range of microorganisms to provide motility. some protists with flagella are known as flagellates. Across the three domains of Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukaryota, the flagellum has a different structure, protein composition, and mechanism of propulsion but shares the same function of providing motility. The Latin word flagellum means "whip" to describe its lash-like swimming motion. The flagella of bacteria and archaea, prokaryotes, are rotor-like structures that propel the organism via roatation. While very similar to bacterial flagella, the flagellum in archaea is called the archaellum to note its difference from the bacterial flagellum. Eukaryotic flagella differ from prokaryotic flagella as they are large membrane protrusions supported by the cytoskeleton, which wave back and forth rather than rotate...

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