food vacuole

American  

noun

Cell Biology.

1. a membrane-enclosed cell vacuole with a digestive function, containing material taken up in by the process of phagocytosis.

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food vacuole British  

noun

1. biology a cavity surrounding ingested food particles in some protozoans

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Etymology

Origin of food vacuole

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

The food vacuole seems to be acidic, just like our stomach, based on its reaction to the various dies and labels the scientists used.

From Scientific American

Each parasite has a holding tank called a food vacuole filled with iron-rich crystallized hemozoin.

From New York Times

The hemozoin crystals, packed with concentrated iron, are pushed into the parasite’s food vacuole — the empty space where a rudimentary creature that does not have a gut dumps its waste products.

From New York Times

Little particles of nutritive matter are usually to be detected in the homogeneous protoplasm of its body; commonly these are surrounded by a drop of water taken in with them, and the drop of water is then called a food vacuole.

From Project Gutenberg