Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
ciliophoran

ciliophoran

9.9
A single-celled animal with many tiny hairs called cilia that it uses to move and eat
  • noun
  • /ˌsɪliəˈfɔrən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ciliado
  • Paramecium is a well-known example of a ciliophoran found in freshwater environments.

Examples

  • The ciliophoran uses its cilia to propel itself and capture food particles.

  • Scientists observed the ciliophoran under a microscope to study its unique movement.

  • The ciliophoran is an important organism in aquatic ecosystems.

  • Many ciliophorans can be found in freshwater environments.

  • Paramecium is a well-known example of a ciliophoran found in freshwater environments.

  • Scientists observed the ciliophoran under a microscope to study its unique movement.

  • The ciliophoran uses its cilia to propel itself and capture food particles.

Synonyms

ciliate
vsciliophoran
  • Specialized
1 9.9

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

does not state single-celled nature as clearly as the other
ciliated protozoan
vsciliophoran
  • Specialized
7.9

A single cell living thing that uses tiny hairs to move and eat

stresses that the hairlike appendages are microscopic rather than just present
Ciliophora
vsciliophoran
  • Specialized
9.9

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

refers to an individual organism type rather than a whole taxonomic class
Ciliata
vsciliophoran
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of single-celled animals with tiny hairs at some stage that they use to move and eat

refers to one organism type rather than a group with varied body coverage

Surface Forms

ciliophoran singular
ciliophorans plural

Morphology

ciliophoran = Ciliophora (semi-transparent) = cilio + phor + an

Formed by adding the agent/relational suffix '-an' to the taxonomic name 'Ciliophora'; the relation is predictable for those familiar with the scientific name but specialized for general learners.

Etymology

The word ciliophoran comes from parts that mean 'eyelash' and 'bearing': cilium ('eyelash' or 'small hair') and phoros ('bearing' or 'carrying'). So a ciliophoran is a tiny creature that 'carries' many hair-like cilia on its surface to move and catch food.