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Definition of protozoa - 11 dictionary results
Pro⋅to⋅zo⋅a
[proh-tuh-zoh-uh] 
–noun
| a major grouping or superphylum of the kingdom Protista, comprising the protozoans. |
pro⋅to⋅zo⋅an
[proh-tuh-zoh-uh
n] noun, plural -zo⋅ans, (especially collectively) -zo⋅a [-zoh-uh] , adjective Biology–noun
| 1. | any of a diverse group of eukaryotes, of the kingdom Protista, that are primarily unicellular, existing singly or aggregating into colonies, are usually nonphotosynthetic, and are often classified further into phyla according to their capacity for and means of motility, as by pseudopods, flagella, or cilia. |
–adjective
| 2. | of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a protozoan. |
pro⋅to⋅zo⋅on
[proh-tuh-zoh-on, -uhn]
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To protozoa
| pro·to·zo·an (prō'tə-zō'ən) n. pl. pro·to·zo·ans or pro·to·zo·a (-zō'ə) also pro·to·zo·ons Any of a large group of single-celled, usually microscopic, eukaryotic organisms, such as amoebas, ciliates, flagellates, and sporozoans. [From New Latin Protozōa, former subkingdom name : proto- + -zōa, pl. of -zōon, -zoon.] pro'to·zo'an, pro'to·zo'al, pro'to·zo'ic 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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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Protozoa
Pro`to*zo"a\, n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ? first + ? an animal.] (Zo["o]l.) The lowest of the grand divisions of the animal kingdom. Note: The entire animal consists of a single cell which is variously modified; but in many species a number of these simple zooids are united together so as to form a compound body or organism, as in the Foraminifera and Vorticell[ae]. The reproduction takes place by fission, or by the breaking up of the contents of the body after encystment, each portion becoming a distinct animal, or in other ways, but never by true eggs. The principal divisions are Rhizopoda, Gregarin[ae], and Infusoria. See also Foraminifera, Heliozoa, Protoplasta, Radiolaria, Flagellata, Ciliata.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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protozoa [(proh-tuh-zoh-uh)]
Single-celled animals, such as amoebas, that are the most primitive form of animal life. In modern biology, they are classified in the kingdom of Protoctista rather than in the animal kingdom. (See Linnean classification.)
Note: Some protozoa are parasites and may be pathogenic, causing diseases such as malaria and dysentery.
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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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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protozoa
1834, from Mod.L., coined 1818 by Ger. zoologist Georg August Goldfuss (1782-1848) from Gk. protos "first" + zoia, pl. of zoion "animal" (see zoo).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: Pro·to·zoa
Pronunciation: "prOt-&-'zO-&
Function: noun plural
: a phylum or subkingdom of chiefly motile protists (asamebas, trypanosomes, sporozoans, and paramecia) that consist of a protoplasmic body either naked or enclosed in an outer covering, that have holophytic, saprophytic, or holozoic modes of nourishment,that reproduce asexually by nuclear division usually with a more or less modified mitosis associated with cytoplasmic binary fission or with multiple fission or budding or often sexually by variousmeans, that have the life cycle simple (as in an ameba) or extremely complex (as in many sporozoans), that are represented in almost every kind of habitat, and that include pathogenic parasites ofhumans and domestic animals —compare METAZOA 1
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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protozoa pro·to·zo·a (prō'tə-zō'ə)
n.
Plural of protozoan.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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| protozoan (prō'tə-zō'ən) Pronunciation Key
Plural protozoans or protozoa Any of a large group of one-celled organisms (called protists) that live in water or as parasites. Many protozoans move about by means of appendages known as cilia or flagella. Protozoans include the amoebas, flagellates, foraminiferans, and ciliates. Their traditional classification as the subkingdom Protozoa is still used for convenience, but it is now known that protozoans represent several evolutionarily distinct groups. See more at protist. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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