paramecium
/ˌparəˈmiːsɪəm
/noun (plural paramecia) Zoology
A single-celled freshwater animal which has a characteristic slipper-like shape and is covered with cilia.
- Genus Paramecium, phylum Ciliophora, kingdom Protista.
- In 1911, he reported on the effect of hematoporphyrin and light on a paramecium and red blood cells and described skin reactions in mice exposed to light after hematoporphyrin administration.
- Parameciums have a permanent feeding mechanism, consisting of a funnel-shaped gullet into which food is drawn by the combined action of the cilia. They feed on small organisms such as bacteria and even other smaller protozoa.
Origin
Mid 18th century: modern Latin, from Greek paramēkēs 'oval' from para- 'against' + mēkos 'length'.
- someone's tongue is hanging out
- someplace
- somersault
- Somerset
- Somerville
- somesthetic
- something
- something else
- something fierce
- something for the weekend
- something is up
- something like
- something nasty in the woodshed
- something of
- something of the kind
- something or other
- something speaks for itself
- something would not go (or come) amiss
- sometime
- sometimes
- someway
- somewhat
- somewhat of
- somewhen
- somewhere