amoeba

[ uh-mee-buh ]

noun

, plural a·moe·bas, a·moe·bae [uh, -, mee, -bee].

1. a variant of ameba.

amoeba

/ əˈmiːbə /

noun

1. any protozoan of the phylum Rhizopoda , esp any of the genus Amoeba, able to change shape because of the movements of cell processes (pseudopodia). They live in fresh water or soil or as parasites in man and animals

amoeba

/ ə-mē′bə /

, Plural amoebas ə-mē′bē

1. Any of various one-celled aquatic or parasitic protozoans of the genus Amoeba or related genera, having no definite form and consisting of a mass of protoplasm containing one or more nuclei surrounded by a flexible outer membrane. Amoebas move by means of pseudopods.

amoeba

1. An animal composed of only one cell that has no fixed shape. It is the best known of the single-celled animals, or protozoa .

Notes

The term amoeba is sometimes used to refer to something with an indefinite, changeable shape.

Derived Forms

• aˈmoebic, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of amoeba¹

C19: from New Latin, from Greek amoibē change, from ameibein to change, exchange

Example Sentences

Elsewhere in the world, such as Karachi, the capital city of Pakistan, he says, the presence of the “brain eating amoeba” in the water supply seems to be much larger.

From Popular-Science

This free-living amoeba, Naegleria gruberi, is not confined to tropical countries….

From Science News

Mercifully, human invasion is rare, for the invader, an amoeba, destroys the brain tissue and produces death in from four to seven days.

From Science News

To pull themselves along, amoebas extend temporary bulges from their cells.

From Science News For Students

An amoeba called Naegleria fowleri causes disease in people by eating brain cells.

From Science News For Students

Dr. Kent Sepkowitz on the alienlike amoeba that gives him nightmares.

From The Daily Beast

I was invited to see Paul when he performed at a very intimate gig at Amoeba Records in L.A. a few years ago.

From The Daily Beast

A mono-cell, the amoeba, was able to reproduce itself by the simple stratagem of sub-division.

From Project Gutenberg

And I have good reason to believe that the forces of Aptor are congealing once more, a sluggish but huge amoeba of horror.

From Project Gutenberg

But the right-hand side you will see an undoubted amoeba, moving sluggishly across the field.

From Project Gutenberg

I expect you'll have to wait till little brother amoeba gets grown up before you'll find a reader.

From Project Gutenberg

It continued to move outward, and on the map it appeared like a pseudopod extruded by an enormous amoeba.

From Project Gutenberg