vorticella

[ vawr-tuh-sel-uh ]

/ ˌvɔr təˈsɛl ə /

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noun, plural vor·ti·cel·lae

[vawr-tuh-sel-ee], /ˌvɔr təˈsɛl i/, vor·ti·cel·las.

any ciliated protozoan of the genus Vorticella, having a transparent, bell-shaped body with a retractile stalk.

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Origin of vorticella

From New Latin, dating back to 1780–90; see origin at vortex, -ella

Words nearby vorticella

vortex drag, vortex ring, vortex shedding, vortex street, vortical, vorticella, vorticism, vorticity, vorticose, vortiginous, Vortumnus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use vorticella in a sentence

In another one-celled animal called vorticella, part of the cell has become elongated and is contractile.
A Civic Biology|George William Hunter
The cilia exist at the anterior end, and extend down a lateral fissure as in Vorticella.
An Elementary Text-book of the Microscope|John William Griffith
In some cases the Vorticella assumes the form of a Podophrya (fig. 40), the surface becoming covered with tentacle-like processes.
An Elementary Text-book of the Microscope|John William Griffith
Elie set to work with ardour and found that the stalk of the Vorticella had no muscular character.
Life of Elie Metchnikoff, 1845-1916|Olga Metchnikoff

Certainly in this case the organism can not be regarded as a Vorticella broken off its stalk, as Kent '81 suspected.
Marine Protozoa from Woods Hole|Gary N. Calkins

British Dictionary definitions for vorticella

vorticella

/ (ˌvɔːtɪˈsɛlə) /

noun plural -lae (-liː)

any protozoan of the genus Vorticella, consisting of a goblet-shaped ciliated cell attached to the substratum by a long contractile stalk

Word Origin for vorticella

C18: from New Latin, literally: a little eddy, from vortex

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