pseudopod

American  

[soo-duh-pod] / ˈsu dəˌpɒd /

noun

Biology.

1. a temporary protrusion of the protoplasm, as of certain protozoans, usually serving as an organ of locomotion or prehension.

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pseudopod Scientific  

/ so̅o̅′də-pŏd′ /

plural

pseudopods

1. A temporary footlike extension of a one-celled organism, such as an amoeba, used for moving about and for surrounding and taking in food.

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Other Word Forms

• pseudopodal adjective
• pseudopodial adjective
• pseudopodic adjective

Etymology

Origin of pseudopod

1870–75; < New Latin pseudopodium; see pseudo-, -podium

Explanation

In biology, the word pseudopod means a temporary growth on a cell that allows it to be mobile, almost like a little foot. Amoebas use pseudopods to move around. Pseudopod, short for the Modern Latin pseudopodium, comes from the Greek roots psuedo-, "false or fake," and podion, "little foot." The cells that grow these tiny, fake feet (also described as "arm-like") use them as a temporary way of moving from one place to another, essentially by scooting or oozing along. Pseudopods are sometimes also used for feeding.

Example Sentences

The protist then transports its cytoplasm into the pseudopod, thereby moving the entire cell.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

The water pseudopod was basically digitally created but optically composited.

From The Verge • Aug. 8, 2014

The awards are a very tentacular affair, the ubiquitous pseudopod somehow neatly summing up the Kitschies ethos – Lovecraftian horrors have tentacles, and so do bug-eyed monsters from outer space.

From The Guardian • Jan. 18, 2013

A royal pseudopod appeared with a pencil, signed itself "Napoleon."

From Time Magazine Archive

By the statue hangs a faded banner: Bolivia Mar. When Bolivia declared its independence it had a territorial pseudopod that extended southwest from its Andean heartland through the Atacama Desert to the sea.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann