Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Nearby Entries
amoeba - 12 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.
Cite This Source Link To amoeba
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.
Cite This Source

Amoeba

A*m[oe]"ba\, n.; pl. L. Am[oe]b[ae]; E. Am[oe]bas. [NL., fr. Gr. ? change.] (Zo["o]l.) A rhizopod. common in fresh water, capable of undergoing many changes of form at will. See Rhizopoda.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

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.
Cite This Source

amoeba

n. Humorous term for the Commodore Amiga personal computer.
Jargon File 4.2.0
Cite This Source

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
Cite This Source

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.
Cite This Source

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.
Cite This Source
amoeba   (ə-mē'bə)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural amoebas or amoebae (ə-mē'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. Amoebas move by means of pseudopods.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

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
Cite This Source
Search another word or see amoeba on Thesaurus | Reference