amoeba

[ uh-mee-buh ]
See synonyms for amoeba on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural a·moe·bas, a·moe·bae [uh-mee-bee]. /əˈmi bi/.
  1. a variant of ameba.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use amoeba in a sentence

  • Now, the Amoebae have neither a nervous system nor distinguishable organs of any kind.

    The Life of the Bee | Maurice Maeterlinck

British Dictionary definitions for amoeba

amoeba

US ameba

/ (əˈmiːbə) /


nounplural -bae (-biː) or -bas
  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

Origin of amoeba

1
C19: from New Latin, from Greek amoibē change, from ameibein to change, exchange

Derived forms of amoeba

  • amoebic or US amebic, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for amoeba

amoeba

[ ə-mē ]


Plural amoebas amoebae (ə-mē)
  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.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for amoeba

amoeba

[ (uh-mee-buh) ]


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 for amoeba

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

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.