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amoeba - 12 dictionary results

a⋅moe⋅ba

[uh-mee-buh]
–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


a⋅me⋅ba⋅like, adjective
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.

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.

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.

amoeba

n. Humorous term for the Commodore Amiga personal computer.

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.

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

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.

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.

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)

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