sporozoan

[ spawr-uh-zoh-uhn, spohr- ]
See synonyms for sporozoan on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any parasitic spore-forming protozoan of the phylum (or class) Sporozoa, several species of which, as plasmodia, cause malaria.

adjective
  1. Also spo·ro·zo·al. belonging or pertaining to the Sporozoa.

Origin of sporozoan

1
First recorded in 1885–90; Sporozo(a) + -an

Words Nearby sporozoan

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How to use sporozoan in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sporozoan

sporozoan

/ (ˌspɔːrəˈzəʊən, ˌspɒ-) /


noun
  1. any parasitic protozoan of the phylum Apicomplexa (or Sporozoa), characterized by a complex life cycle, part of which is passed in the cells of the host, and the production of asexual spores: includes the malaria parasite: See plasmodium (def. 2)

adjective
  1. of or relating to sporozoans

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 sporozoan

sporozoan

[ spôr′ə-zōən ]


  1. Any of numerous parasitic protozoans now classified as apicomplexans.

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