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ciliated protozoan

ciliated protozoan

7.9
A single cell living thing that uses tiny hairs to move and eat
  • noun
  • /ˈsɪliˌeɪtɪd ˌproʊtəˈzoʊən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : protozoo ciliado
  • The ciliated protozoan moves swiftly through the water using its tiny hairlike cilia.

Examples

  • In biology class, we observed a ciliated protozoan under the microscope to see how it swims.

  • A living system in which to explore telomere behavior came in the form of the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Researchers studied the ciliated protozoan to understand its feeding mechanisms.

Synonyms

paramecium
vsciliated protozoan
  • Specialized
1 8.8

A very small one-celled freshwater creature with a slipper shape and tiny hairs for movement

is the general term for any single-celled organism that uses cilia to move
ciliate
vsciliated protozoan
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A single-celled organism with tiny hairs used to move and feed

is the longer descriptive form of the same idea
ciliophoran
vsciliated protozoan
  • Specialized
9.9

A single-celled animal with many tiny hairs called cilia that it uses to move and eat

refers broadly to such organisms without naming their taxonomic group
Ciliophora
vsciliated protozoan
  • Specialized
9.9

A single-celled creature with many tiny hairlike cilia on its surface used to move and feed

is the general term for an organism defined by cilia for movement
Ciliata
vsciliated protozoan
  • Specialized
9.9

Single-celled animals with many tiny hairs that live in water and use them to move

is about one organism described by having hairlike cilia for movement
infusorian
vsciliated protozoan
  • Archaic
9.9

A very small water creature seen only with a microscope that moves with tiny hairs

is the modern general name for single-celled organisms with cilia
Oxytricha
vsciliated protozoan
  • Specialized
9.9

A single-celled animal-like organism with tiny hairs that lives in freshwater

is a general category rather than this specific taxonomic genus
Tetrahymena
vsciliated protozoan
  • Specialized
9.9

A single-celled organism with four bands of tiny hairs often used in biology research

is the general organism type defined by cilia rather than this research-focused genus
Vorticella
vsciliated protozoan
  • Specialized
9.9

A very small single-celled creature with a cup-shaped body and a stalk it can pull in

is the broad term for any organism with hairlike cilia, not this specific form

Surface Forms

Morphology

ciliated + protozoan

The meaning 'a protozoan with hairlike cilia' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'ciliated' (having fine hairlike projections) with 'protozoan' (a unicellular organism). This is a straightforward adjective+noun composition common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Ciliated protozoan is a compound name for a 'single-celled animal' that has tiny hairlike parts called cilia. The word ciliated points to the tiny hairs and protozoan points to the 'single-celled animal', so the name helps you remember that this tiny creature uses its hairs to move and eat.