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Amoeba

 - 11 dictionary results

a⋅moe⋅ba

  [uh-mee-buh]
Use Amoeba in a Sentence
–noun, plural -bas, -bae  [-bee] .
ameba.

a⋅me⋅ba

  [uh-mee-buh]
–noun, plural -bas, -bae  [-bee] .
1. any of numerous freshwater, marine, or parasitic one-celled protozoa of the order Amoebida, characterized by a granular nucleus surrounded by a jellylike mass of cytoplasm that forms temporary extensions, or pseudopodia, by which the organism moves, engulfs food particles, and forms food vacuoles.
2. a protozoan of the genus Amoeba, inhabiting bottom vegetation of freshwater ponds and streams: used widely in laboratory studies.
Also, amoeba.

Origin:
< NL amoeba < Gk amoib change, alternation, akin to ameíbein to exchange

Related forms:
a⋅me⋅ba⋅like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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a·moe·ba also a·me·ba   (ə-mē'bə)   
n.   pl. a·moe·bas also a·me·bas or a·moe·bae also a·me·bae (-bē)
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. It moves by means of pseudopods.

[New Latin, genus name, from Greek amoibē, change, from ameibein, to change; see mei-1 in Indo-European roots.]
a·moe'bic (-bĭk) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

amoeba [(uh-mee-buh)]

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

Note: The term amoeba is sometimes used to refer to something with an indefinite, changeable shape.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

amoeba 
1855, from Mod.L. genus name (1841), from Gk. amoibe "change," from PIE *e-meigw-, extended form of base *mei- "to change, go, move" (see mutable). So called for its constantly changing shape.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ame·ba
Variant: or chiefly British amoe·ba /&-'mE-b&/
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural ame·bas or ame·bae /-(")bE/
: a protozoan of the genus Amoeba; broadly : an ameboid protozoan (as a naked rhizopod) —ame·bic or chiefly British amoe·bic /-bik/ adjective

Main Entry: Amoe·ba
Pronunciation: &-'mE-b&
Function: noun
: a large genus of naked rhizopod protozoans that have lobed and never anastomosingpseudopodia and are widely distributed in fresh and salt water and moist terrestrial environments
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

ameba a·me·ba or amoeba (ə-mē'bə)
n. pl. a·me·bas or a·me·bae (-bē)
A protozoa of the genus Amoeba and of related genera, occurring in soil and water and parasitic in animals.

amoeba a·moe·ba (ə-mē'bə)
n.
Variant of ameba.

Amoeba A·moe·ba (ə-mē'bə)
n. pl. a·moe·bas or a·moe·bae (-bē)

  1. A genus of protozoa of the class Sarcodina or Rhizopoda.

  2. Any of several genera of protozoa that are parasitic in humans, especially Entamoeba.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Computing Dictionary

Amoeba
1. A distributed operating system developed by Andrew S. Tanenbaum and others of Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. Amoeba is only available under licence from the VUA, but is free of charge and includes all source, binaries and documentation.
(http://am.cs.vu.nl/).
[Features?]
2. A derogatory term for Commodore's Amiga personal computer.
[The Jargon File]
(1997-05-07)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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