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

Because obviously, to be extreme, a paramecium probably doesn't feel embarrassed, however, an orangutan does.

From Salon

The problems that the intelligence of a paramecium faces are very different from your problems or mine.

From Salon

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

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