trichocyst

American

[trik-uh-sist] / ˈtrɪk əˌsɪst /

noun

Zoology.

an organ of offense and defense embedded in the outer cytoplasm of certain protozoans, consisting of a small elongated sac containing a fine, hairlike filament capable of being ejected.

trichocyst British

/ ˈtrɪkəˌsɪst /

noun

any of various cavities on the surface of some ciliate protozoans, each containing a sensory thread that can be ejected

"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

Other Word Forms

trichocystic adjective

Etymology

Origin of trichocyst

First recorded in 1850–55; tricho- + cyst

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