paramecium

noun

par·a·me·cium ˌper-ə-ˈmē-sh(ē-)əm

-sē-əm,

ˌpa-rə-

plural paramecia ˌper-ə-ˈmē-sh(ē-)ə

-sē-ə,

ˌpa-rə-

also parameciums

: any of a genus (Paramecium) of ciliate chiefly freshwater protozoans that have an elongate body rounded at the anterior end and an oblique funnel-shaped buccal groove bearing the mouth at the extremity

Examples of paramecium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Few organisms rank lower in life than the gelatinous, pond-dwelling paramecium. —

Mara Grunbaum, Discover Magazine, 3 July 2011 The boost in genetic information may have given the paramecium a survival advantage by allowing for more beneficial mutations, which drive evolution. —

Mara Grunbaum, Discover Magazine, 3 July 2011 The myth of the simple paramecium was shattered in 2006 when scientists sequenced its genome. —

Mara Grunbaum, Discover Magazine, 3 July 2011

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin Paramecium, pre-Linnaean name for protozoa of the genus, from Greek paramḗkēs "oblong, oval" (from para- para- entry 1 + -mēkēs, adjective corresponding to mêkos "length, height, magnitude") + New Latin -ium -ium — more at meager

Note: The name Paramecium was introduced, in both Latin descriptions and English descriptions maintaining the Latin coinage Paramecium, by the English polymath John Hill (ca. 1714-1775) in An History of Animals (London, 1752, vol. 3 of his A General Natural History), p. 4. The word was first used as a Linnaean genus name by Otto Frederik Müller in Vermivm terrestrium et fluviatilium, seu, Animalium infusoriorum … succincta historia, vol. 1 (Copenhagen & Leipzig, 1773), p. 54 (spelled unetymologically Paramæcium, corrected in later publications).

First Known Use

1752, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of paramecium was in 1752

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Paramecium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paramecium. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

paramecium

noun

par·a·me·cium ˌpar-ə-ˈmē-sh(ē-)əm

-sē-əm

plural paramecia -sh(ē-)ə

-sē-ə

also parameciums

: any of a genus of one-celled somewhat slipper-shaped mostly freshwater protozoans that move by cilia

Medical Definition

paramecium

noun

par·a·me·cium ˌpar-ə-ˈmē-sh(ē-)əm, -sē-əm

capitalized : a genus of ciliate protozoans that have an elongate body rounded at the anterior end and an oblique funnel-shaped buccal groove bearing the mouth at the extremity

plural paramecia -sh(ē-)ə, -sē-ə

also parameciums : any ciliate protozoan of the genus Paramecium

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paramecium

noun

Examples of paramecium in a Sentence

Word History

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Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition