ameba
or a·moe·ba
[uh-mee-buh]
noun, plural a·me·bas, a·me·bae [uh-mee-bee] /əˈmi bi/.
any of numerous freshwater, marine, or parasitic one-celled protozoa of the order Amoebida, characterized by a granular nucleus surrounded by a jellylike mass of cytoplasm that forms temporary extensions, or pseudopodia, by which the organism moves, engulfs food particles, and forms food vacuoles.
a protozoan of the genus Amoeba, inhabiting bottom vegetation of freshwater ponds and streams: used widely in laboratory studies.
Origin of ameba
< New Latin amoeba < Greek amoibḗ change, alternation, akin to ameíbein to exchange
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Related Words for ameba
cell, flagellate, organism, plasmodium, euglena, paramecium, ciliate, amoeba, sporozoan, stentorExamples from the Web for ameba
Historical Examples of ameba
Yet, is man any less a unit than the Ameba, or any other simple organism?
Some are simple like the ameba, others are very complex in structure.
Being Well-BornMichael F. Guyer
The ameba solves this difficulty by dividing to form two amebæ.
Being Well-BornMichael F. Guyer
The cells are better off than the ameba, for their food is brought to them.
Applied PhysiologyFrank Overton
The cells are like the tiny animal, the ameba, and can take in the food by any part of their bodies.
Applied PhysiologyFrank Overton
ameba
noun plural -bae (-biː) or -bas
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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ameba
n. pl. a•me•bas
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
ameba
[ə-mē′bə]
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.