Protozoa

American  

[proh-tuh-zoh-uh] / ˌproʊ təˈzoʊ ə /

noun

1. a major grouping or superphylum of the kingdom Protista, comprising the protozoans.

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protozoa Cultural  

1. Single-celled animals, such as amoebas, that are the most primitive form of animal life. In modern biology, they are classified in the kingdom of Protoctista rather than in the animal kingdom. (See Linnean classification.)

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Discover More

Some protozoa are parasites and may be pathogenic, causing diseases such as malaria and dysentery.

Etymology

Origin of Protozoa

From New Latin, dating back to 1825–35; proto-, -zoa

Compare meaning

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

• protist vs. Protozoa

Example Sentences

A24 secured the rights to Walter Isaacson's biography on the world's richest person, according to the source, who added the Musk biopic will be produced by Aronofsky's production company, Protozoa Pictures.

From Reuters • Nov. 10, 2023

Private investors came aboard, as did executive producer Darren Aronofsky and his Protozoa Pictures, allowing the filmmakers to tell the tough and at times bleak story they wanted without pulling any punches.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2022

“You are all Protozoa experts equipped to judge and advise me, right?”

From New York Times • Dec. 5, 2015

The Royal Court season opens with Bruce Norris's satire Clybourne Park, and the Red Room's temporary venue, the Jellyfish, has Simon Wu's Oikos to be followed in mid-September by Kay Adshead's Protozoa.

From The Guardian • Aug. 27, 2010

The very elaborate regional differentiation of the protoplasm often seen in the Protozoa sufficiently indicate that multicellular structure is no essential condition for complex regional differentiation.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 8 "Cube" to "Daguerre, Louis" by Various