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Glite Dictionary
protozoon

protozoon

9.9
A single-celled living thing usually too small to see without a microscope
  • noun
  • /ˌproʊtəˈzoʊən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : protozoo
  • Scientists observed the movement of a protozoon in a drop of pond water.

Examples

  • Malaria is caused by a protozoon of the genus Plasmodium.

  • A protozoon can reproduce by binary fission.

  • A protozoon can only be seen with a microscope due to its minute size.

  • Did you know that a protozoon is a unicellular organism?

  • A protozoon can only be seen with a microscope due to its minute size.

  • Scientists observed the movement of a protozoon in a drop of pond water.

  • Malaria is caused by a protozoon of the genus Plasmodium.

Synonyms

protozoan
vsprotozoon
  • Specialized
2 7.9

A very small single-celled organism often found in water or soil that can cause disease

emphasizes membership in the scientific group rather than historical animal label

Surface Forms

protozoon singular
protozoa plural

Morphology

protozoon = zoon (opaque) = proto + zoon

The word combines the classical prefix 'proto-' with 'zoon', but the specialized scientific meaning is not directly predictable for most learners.

Etymology

The word protozoon comes from two parts: proto- meaning 'first' and zoon meaning 'animal'. Think of prototype for proto- and zoo for zoon; a protozoon is like a 'first' or very simple animal, usually just a single tiny cell seen only with a microscope.