tetrahymena

[ te-truh-hahy-muh-nuh ]

noun

, Biology.

1. any ciliated protozoan of the genus Tetrahymena, a relative of the paramecium: often used in genetics research.

Word History and Origins

Origin of tetrahymena¹

< New Latin (1940); tetra-, hymen, -a ²; so named from the four membranous ciliary organelles that characterized a cytostomal pattern exemplified by this genus

Example Sentences

Beginning with research in the 1980s with a single-celled aquatic creature called a tetrahymena, Dr. Allis found that histone proteins were more than mere wrappers or spools, as long thought.

From Washington Post

Blackburn, who was born in Australia and has dual Australian and U.S. citizenship, began to tackle this puzzle by studying the chromosomes of the tetrahymena, a single-celled organism found in pond water.

From Washington Post