animalcule

[an-uh-mal-kyool]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR animalcule ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a minute or microscopic animal, nearly or quite invisible to the naked eye, as an infusorian or rotifer.

Archaic. a tiny animal, as a mouse or fly.

RELATED WORDS

animalculum, n

Nearby words

Origin of animalcule

First recorded in 1590–1600, animalcule is from the New Latin word animalculum a small animal. See animal, -cule¹

Related formsan·i·mal·cu·lar

[an-uh-mal-kyuh-ler] /ˌæn əˈmæl kyə lər/, an·i·mal·cu·line

[an-uh-mal-kyuh-lin] /ˌæn əˈmæl kyə lɪn/, an·i·mal·cu·lous, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for animalcule

Indeed, too sadly so, and I dare apply but a flash of the microscope to the rageing dilemmas of this animalcule.
Rhoda Fleming, Complete|George Meredith
Frequent examination of this animalcule has created a strong doubt in my mind whether it is rightly placed in our "systems."
Marvels of Pond-life|Henry J. Slack
It is wisdom to respect the infinitely little, for God comes close behind the animalcule, life simplified to a mere cell.
The Browning Cyclopdia|Edward Berdoe
His first form is that which is permanent in the animalcule.
A Theory of Creation: A Review of 'Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation'|Francis Bowen

Usually the body of the animalcule became elongated whilst expiring in sea-water.
Parasites|T. Spencer Cobbold

British Dictionary definitions for animalcule

animalcule

animalculum (ˌænɪˈmælkjʊləm)

noun plural -cules or -cula (-kjʊlə)

a microscopic animal such as an amoeba or rotifer

Derived Formsanimalcular, adjective

Word Origin for animalcule

C16: from New Latin animalculum a small animal

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

Word Origin and History for animalcule

animalcule

"very small animal," especially a microscopic one, 1590s, from Late Latin animalculum, diminutive of Latin animal (see animal (n.)). Related: Animalcular.