amoeba
pronunciation
How to pronounce amoeba in British English:
UK [ə'mi:bə]
How to pronounce amoeba in American English:
US [əˈmibə]
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- Noun:
- naked freshwater or marine or parasitic protozoa that form temporary pseudopods for feeding and locomotion
Word Origin
- amoeba
- amoeba: [19] Amoebas got their name (around 1840) from their inherent shapelessness. With their infinitely mobile exterior and their fluid interior, their shape is constantly changing, and so they were christened with the Greek word amoibē, which means literally ‘change’.
- amoeba (n.)
- 1855, from Modern Latin Amoeba, genus name (1841), from Greek amoibe "change," related to ameibein "to change, exchange," from PIE *e-meigw-, extended form of root *mei- (1) "to change, go, move" (see mutable). So called for its constantly changing shape. Related: Amoebaean; amoebic.
Example
- 1. Did you ever hear of a sneaky amoeba ?
- 2. Later on , it became evident that telomere dna with its characteristic sequence is present in most plants and animals , from amoeba to man .
- 3. Trichoplax adhaerens is a tiny seawater organism that lacks any organs and has only five types of cells , giving it the appearance of an amoeba .
- 4. He discovered that myosin is only needed for the first and final stages of the amoeba 's development and that , in all stages between , myosin is like a candy bar after lunch -- nice but not needed .
- 5. Sure , it helps to know some history , but a grasp of biology now is even more useful - like how an amoeba reproduces by constantly splitting itself in half .