merozoite

[mer-uh-zoh-ahyt]

noun

(in the asexual reproduction of certain sporozoans) a cell developed from a schizont that parasitizes a red blood cell in the host.

Origin of merozoite

First recorded in 1895–1900; mero- + zo- + -ite¹

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

Examples from the Web for merozoite

Historical Examples of merozoite

Once inside a new host-cell, the merozoite grows to a schizont again.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 5
Various

British Dictionary definitions for merozoite

merozoite

noun

any of the cells formed by fission of a schizont during the life cycle of sporozoan protozoans, such as the malaria parasiteCompare trophozoite

Word Origin for merozoite

C20: from mero- + zo (o) + -ite 1

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

merozoite in Medicine

merozoite

[mĕr′ə-zō′īt]

n.

A protozoan cell that arises from the schizogony of a parent sporozoan and may enter either the asexual or sexual phase of the life cycle.