tetrahymena

[te-truh-hahy-muh-nuh]

noun

Biology.

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tetrahymena¹

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

Example Sentences

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.

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Blackburn, who was born in Australia and has dual Australian and U.S. citizenship, began to tackle this puzzle by studying the chromosomes of the tetrahymena, a single-celled organism found in pond water.

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