paramecium

American  

[par-uh-mee-shee-uhm, -shuhm, -see-uhm] / ˌpær əˈmi ʃi əm, -ʃəm, -si əm /

noun

plural

paramecia

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

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paramecium British  

/ ˌpærəˈmiːsɪəm /

noun

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

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paramecium Scientific  

/ păr′ə-mē′sē-əm /

plural

paramecia

1. 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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Etymology

Origin of paramecium

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

Compare meaning

How does paramecium compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• amoeba vs. paramecium

Example Sentences

Each is a rectangle about 300 micrometers long and 200 micrometers wide, roughly the size of a paramecium.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 7, 2024

I would say like a paramecium or an amoeba likely doesn't show shame or embarrassment.

From Salon • Sep. 10, 2023

It was rooted in the bodysuit, two curving paramecium shapes cut out at the neck and side, paired with billowing parachute-silk anoraks, or airy cargo pants, sliced open at the side.

From New York Times • Oct. 5, 2021

The book takes us from the clumsy inquisitiveness of an upstart paramecium searching for food several hundred million years ago to the restless seeking that propelled big-brained Homo sapiens into the space age.

From Nature • Jan. 27, 2020

If you wanted to see with your naked eye a paramecium swimming in a drop of water, you would have to enlarge the drop until it was some forty feet across.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson