paramecium

[ par-uh-mee-shee-uhm, -shuhm, -see-uhm ]

noun

, plural par·a·me·ci·a [par-, uh, -, mee, -shee-, uh, -sh, uh, -see-, uh].

1. any ciliated freshwater protozoan of the genus Paramecium, having an oval body and a long, deep oral groove.

paramecium

/ ˌpærəˈmiːsɪəm /

noun

1. any freshwater protozoan of the genus Paramecium, having an oval body covered with cilia and a ventral ciliated groove for feeding: phylum Ciliophora (ciliates)

paramecium

/ păr′ə-mē′sē-əm /

, Plural paramecia

1. Any of various freshwater protozoans of the genus Paramecium that are usually oval in shape and that move by means of cilia. Although they consist of a single cell, paramecia are large enough to be visible to the naked eye. Like other ciliates, paramecia contain two nuclei, a macronucleus and a micronucleus. On the cellular surface is a groove that opens into a gullet, into which food particles are absorbed.

Word History and Origins

Origin of paramecium¹

1745–55; < New Latin < Greek paramḗk ( ēs ) oblong, oval + New Latin -ium noun suffix; -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of paramecium¹

C18: New Latin, from Greek paramēkēs elongated, from para- ¹+ mēkos length

Example Sentences

Each is a rectangle about 300 micrometers long and 200 micrometers wide, roughly the size of a paramecium.

From Science Magazine

Because obviously, to be extreme, a paramecium probably doesn't feel embarrassed, however, an orangutan does.

From Salon

The problems that the intelligence of a paramecium faces are very different from your problems or mine.

From Salon

It was rooted in the bodysuit, two curving paramecium shapes cut out at the neck and side, paired with billowing parachute-silk anoraks, or airy cargo pants, sliced open at the side.

From New York Times

Fadi felt like a hairy single-celled paramecium, immobilized under a microscope, squashed between two plates of glass.

From Literature