contractile vacuole
a membrane-enveloped cellular organelle, found in many microorganisms, that periodically expands, filling with water, and then contracts, expelling its contents to the cell exterior: thought to be important in maintaining hydrostatic equilibrium.
Origin of contractile vacuole
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use contractile vacuole in a sentence
Waste nitrogenous products formed within the cell when work is done are passed out by means of the contractile vacuole.
A Civic Biology | George William Huntercontractile vacuole absent; the nucleus is spherical and contains many large chromatin granules.
Marine Protozoa from Woods Hole | Gary N. CalkinsThe nucleus is minute and lateral in position; the contractile vacuole is in the posterior end of the body.
Marine Protozoa from Woods Hole | Gary N. CalkinsThe flagellum is inserted in a distinct œsophageal tube, into which the contractile vacuole empties.
Marine Protozoa from Woods Hole | Gary N. CalkinsThe contractile vacuole is in the anterior neck-like portion of the body.
Marine Protozoa from Woods Hole | Gary N. Calkins
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