animalcule

[ an-uh-mal-kyool ]

/ ˌæn əˈmæl kyul /

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

animal rights, animal shelter, animal spirits, animal starch, animal warden, animalcule, animalculum, animalia, animalier, animalism, animalist

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)

/ (ˌænɪˈmælkjuːl) /

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.