water bear

American  

noun

Zoology.

1. a tardigrade.

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water bear British  

noun

1. another name for a tardigrade

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water bear Scientific  

1. See tardigrade

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Etymology

Origin of water bear

First recorded in 1700–10

Example Sentences

Do you know the creature called a water bear; a tardigrade?

From The Verge • Feb. 28, 2018

For years scientists had thought that the water bear relied on a sugar called trehalose to preserve its cells during desiccation.

From New York Times • Mar. 16, 2017

There, hanging above you, is a simulacrum of a tardigrade, otherwise known as a water bear or moss piglet, at about 5,000 times larger than life-size.

From New York Times • Apr. 2, 2015

Wait, though, because in the lichen lurks a tiny beastie called a tardigrade, or water bear.

From The Guardian • Jan. 21, 2013

"Hold up....First of all, I ain't no ugly thing. Just so we clear. But I'm that. A water bear."

From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds