Protista

[proh-tis-tuh]

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. a taxonomic kingdom comprising the protists.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Protista¹

From New Latin, dating back to 1875–80; protist

Example Sentences

He discovered and gave names to thousands of species, and he proposed the existence of a distinct biological kingdom: Protista, organisms that can’t be categorized as animal, plant or fungus.

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Such forms are said to have a “distributed” nucleus, and among the Protozoa correspond to Haeckel’s “Protista.”

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This is to be called Protista, and is to include all the doubtful forms that are not clearly members either of the Kingdom Animalia or of the Kingdom Vegetabilia.

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They enlarge and diminish, and are possibly excretory like the “contractile vacuoles” of other Protista; though it has been suggested that by their communication with the medium they subserve nutrition.

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Thus, in biology, we used to have interminable discussion as to whether certain single-celled organisms were animals or vegetables, until Haeckel introduced the new apperceptive name of Protista, which ended the disputes.

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