nonglobose

Nonglobose is an adjective used in biology to indicate that an object is not globe-like or spherical. It derives from Latin non- “not” and globosus “globe-shaped.” The term is employed across disciplines such as botany, mycology, and microbiology to describe the overall shape of cells, spores, pollen, cysts, or other biological structures.

In practice, nonglobose describes shapes that deviate from a perfect sphere. Examples of nonglobose forms include ellipsoidal (prolate or oblate), ovoid, fusiform, cylindrical, or irregular shapes. The term is often used when more precise geometric descriptors are needed for identification, classification, or morphological comparisons.

Nonglobose is a relative descriptor; an object may appear roughly rounded but lack true spherical symmetry. Descriptions are typically accompanied by more specific terms, such as ellipsoidal, bacilliform, or irregular, to convey exact geometry and axes of symmetry.

Examples of contexts where nonglobose is applied include pollen grains that are not spherical, fungal spores that are elongated rather than spherical, and bacterial forms that are rod-shaped or curved rather than globose. As a descriptive term, nonglobose helps communicate shape characteristics that influence taxonomy, functional interpretation, or recognition in microscopy and imaging studies.