amoeba

[ uh-mee-buh ]

noun

, plural a·moe·bas, a·moe·bae [uh, -, mee, -bee].

1. a variant of ameba.

amoeba

/ əˈmiːbə /

noun

1. any protozoan of the phylum Rhizopoda , esp any of the genus Amoeba, able to change shape because of the movements of cell processes (pseudopodia). They live in fresh water or soil or as parasites in man and animals

amoeba

/ ə-mē′bə /

, Plural amoebas ə-mē′bē

1. Any of various one-celled aquatic or parasitic protozoans of the genus Amoeba or related genera, having no definite form and consisting of a mass of protoplasm containing one or more nuclei surrounded by a flexible outer membrane. Amoebas move by means of pseudopods.

amoeba

1. An animal composed of only one cell that has no fixed shape. It is the best known of the single-celled animals, or protozoa .

Notes

The term amoeba is sometimes used to refer to something with an indefinite, changeable shape.

Derived Forms

• aˈmoebic, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of amoeba¹

C19: from New Latin, from Greek amoibē change, from ameibein to change, exchange

Example Sentences

“The European Parliament is a bit like The Blob,” she said, referring to the 1958 film about a massive amoeba that threatens to destroy the world.

From BBC

It was decades after decades of trying to contain something as organic as music, like forcing an amoeba to hold a shape.

From Los Angeles Times

An Indian teenager is now among a handful of people in the world to survive a rare brain-eating amoeba, partly due to his father coming across a public awareness campaign on social media.

From BBC

Rather, these events appear to be common across diverse organisms, from single-celled amoebas to complex multicellular animals.

From Science Daily

Naegleriaviruses are taken up mistakenly as a food source but destroy their amoeba hosts within just few hours.

From Science Daily