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

Researchers David Sloan, Rafael Alves Batista, and Avi Loeb considered the various things that could cause such a calamity in reference to the impact that could be expected upon the tardigrade, a particularly hardy, bizarrely cute micro-animal also known as a water bear.

From Salon

It’s unlikely that there’s anything we puny humans can do that would have the impact of these extremely extreme events, which, as Sloan, Batista and Loeb concluded, were unlikely to finish off the water bear anytime soon.

From Salon

Dr. Diane R. Nelson, a professor emerita of biology at East Tennessee State University who also was not involved in the study, said this research is "significant" because it provides this useful context in understanding water bear origins despite the intrinsic logistical difficulties involved in acquiring relevant raw data.

From Salon

Spectrogram images of water bear this out with Rothko-like washes of color — no jagged peaks or intensely blurred lines but rather a soothing canvas.

From Washington Post

When Andrew DeBell hires remote staffers, he flies them to his company’s home base for interviews; that’s one way to increase the odds they’ll work well with the team at Water Bear Learning, a Ventura, California-based company that creates educational materials.

From Washington Times