pellicle

1 9.9

A thin flexible protective skin that covers tiny one-celled animals like protozoa

noun
/ˈpɛlɪkəl/

Specialized

: película

As the mass grew larger, the microfibrils of extracellular cellulose entrapped bacterial cells and formed a "pellicle," a structure thought to aid the growth and survival of the microorganism.
organic pellicles

Examples

This coarse material originally may have served as nuclei upon which subcolonies of bacteria produced numerous individual pellicles.

Academic text (1993)
The pellicle surrounding the protozoan protects it from harmful environmental factors.
Natural pellicles are eaten in some societies, and when carefully grown, they provide unique products for medicine and industry.

Academic text (1993)
Scientists observed that the pellicle of the microorganism helps it maintain its shape in varying conditions.
A thin pellicle forms on the surface of the liquid, acting as a barrier to contaminants.

Surface Forms

pellicle singular

pellicles plural

Etymology

Pellicle comes from the Latin pellis, meaning 'skin', with a form that suggests a small or thin skin. So, think of a pellicle as a tiny 'skin' or thin covering that protects and keeps the shape of certain microorganisms.