tetrahymena

American

[te-truh-hahy-muh-nuh] / ˌtɛ trəˈhaɪ mə nə /

noun

Biology.

any ciliated protozoan of the genus Tetrahymena, a relative of the paramecium: often used in genetics research.

Etymology

Origin of tetrahymena

< New Latin (1940); see tetra-, hymen, -a ²; so named from the four membranous ciliary organelles that characterized a cytostomal pattern exemplified by this genus

Example Sentences

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Beginning with research in the 1980s with a single-celled aquatic creature called a tetrahymena, Dr. Allis found that histone proteins were more than mere wrappers or spools, as long thought.

From Washington Post • Jan. 21, 2023

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023