entameba

or ent·a·moe·ba

[ en-tuh-mee-buh ]

/ ˌɛn təˈmi bə /

noun, plural ent·a·me·bae [en-tuh-mee-bee] /ˌɛn təˈmi bi/, ent·a·me·bas. Biology.

any protozoan of the genus Entamoeba, members of which are parasitic in vertebrates, including the human pathogens E. gingivalis, found in dental plaque, and E. histolytica, the cause of amebic dysentery.

Nearby words

entablement, entad, entail, entailment, ental, entameba, entamebiasis, entamoeba, entangle, entangled, entanglement

Compare endameba.

Origin of entameba

From New Latin; see origin at ento-, ameba

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

British Dictionary definitions for entamoeba

entamoeba

endamoeba, US entameba or US endameba

/ (ˌɛntəˈmiːbə) /

noun plural -bae (-biː) or -bas

any parasitic amoeba of the genus Entamoeba (or Endamoeba), esp E. histolytica, which lives in the intestines of man and causes amoebic dysentery

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

Medicine definitions for entamoeba (1 of 2)

Entamoeba

n.

A genus of amebas whose members are parasitic in the cecum and large bowel of humans and many mammals and birds. E. histolytica, the only distinct pathogen of the genus, causes amebic dysentery and hepatic amebiasis.

Medicine definitions for entamoeba (2 of 2)

entameba

n.

A parasitic ameba of the genus Entamoeba.