Protista

[ proh-tis-tuh ]

noun

, (used with a plural verb)

1. a taxonomic kingdom comprising the protists.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Protista¹

From New Latin, dating back to 1875–80; protist

Example Sentences

He discovered and gave names to thousands of species, and he proposed the existence of a distinct biological kingdom: Protista, organisms that can’t be categorized as animal, plant or fungus.

From Washington Post

Such forms are said to have a “distributed” nucleus, and among the Protozoa correspond to Haeckel’s “Protista.”

From Project Gutenberg

This is to be called Protista, and is to include all the doubtful forms that are not clearly members either of the Kingdom Animalia or of the Kingdom Vegetabilia.

From Project Gutenberg

They enlarge and diminish, and are possibly excretory like the “contractile vacuoles” of other Protista; though it has been suggested that by their communication with the medium they subserve nutrition.

From Project Gutenberg

Thus, in biology, we used to have interminable discussion as to whether certain single-celled organisms were animals or vegetables, until Haeckel introduced the new apperceptive name of Protista, which ended the disputes.

From Project Gutenberg