paramecium

[ par-uh-mee-shee-uhm, -shuhm, -see-uhm ]

See synonyms for: paramecium paramecia on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural par·a·me·ci·a

[par-uh-mee-shee-uh, -shuh, -see-uh]. /ˌpær əˈmi ʃi ə, -ʃə, -si ə/.

any ciliated freshwater protozoan of the genus Paramecium, having an oval body and a long, deep oral groove.

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Origin of paramecium

1745–55; <New Latin <Greek paramḗk(ēs) oblong, oval + New Latin -ium noun suffix; see -ium

Words Nearby paramecium

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use paramecium in a sentence

The differences between paramecium, redwoods, and blue whales are easy to spot.
Your Probiotic Is Probably B.S. | Carrie Arnold | June 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The paramecium are propagated by spontaneous division, as already described.
The Ocean World: | Louis Figuier
The neurone, however, is a little unicellular animal, like the amoeba or the paramecium.
Introduction to the Science of Sociology | Robert E. Park
Swimming vigorously in the water, they devote themselves to chasing the paramecium.
The Ocean World: | Louis Figuier
Jennings found a number of races of paramecium of different sizes living under natural conditions.
A Critique of the Theory of Evolution | Thomas Hunt Morgan

British Dictionary definitions for paramecium

paramecium

/ (ˌpærəˈmiːsɪəm) /

nounplural -cia (-sɪə)

any freshwater protozoan of the genus Paramecium, having an oval body covered with cilia and a ventral ciliated groove for feeding: phylum Ciliophora (ciliates)

Origin of paramecium

C18: New Latin, from Greek paramēkēs elongated, from para- 1 + mēkos length

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

Scientific definitions for paramecium

paramecium

[ păr′ə-mē′sē-əm ]

Plural paramecia parameciums

Any of various freshwater protozoans of the genus Paramecium that are usually oval in shape and that move by means of cilia. Although they consist of a single cell, paramecia are large enough to be visible to the naked eye. Like other ciliates, paramecia contain two nuclei, a macronucleus and a micronucleus. On the cellular surface is a groove that opens into a gullet, into which food particles are absorbed.

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