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flagellated protozoan

flagellated protozoan

8.5
A one-celled organism that moves with whip-like tails and can cause disease in animals or people
  • noun
  • /fləˈdʒɛlɪˌteɪɪd proʊtəˈzoʊən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : protozoo flagelado
  • The flagellated protozoan Dientamoeba fragilis is one of the most common parasites in the intestinal tract of humans (1).

Examples

  • The flagellated protozoan Giardia lamblia can cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms in affected individuals.

  • Scientists study the flagellated protozoan Trypanosoma brucei to understand its role in causing sleeping sickness.

  • Under a microscope, the flagellated protozoan exhibits rapid movement thanks to its long, whip-like tail.

Synonyms

flagellate
vsflagellated protozoan
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A tiny living thing made of one cell that moves with whip-like tails

is the same movement focus but the key is phrased differently
flagellate protozoan
vsflagellated protozoan
  • Specialized
9.2

A single-cell creature that moves with tail-like parts and can cause disease in people

has identical meaning but uses an alternative standard phrasing
polymastigote
vsflagellated protozoan
  • Specialized
9.9

A tiny single-celled creature with many long tail-like parts it uses to move

is broader, covering single-celled forms with any number of whip-like tails
mastigophoran
vsflagellated protozoan
  • Archaic
9.9

A single-celled organism that moves using whiplike tails and sometimes causes disease in people

is the general label not stressing photosynthesis or nonphotosynthetic status
mastigophore
vsflagellated protozoan
  • Archaic
9.9

A single-celled animal that has whip-like tails and can cause disease in people or animals

matches that sense but is used as a different traditional name
zooflagellate
vsflagellated protozoan
  • Specialized
9.9

A tiny single-celled animal-like creature that swims with a tail-like part and absorbs food

is broader, not stressing the contrast with plant-like forms
flagellated cell
vsflagellated protozoan
  • Specialized
6.7

A cell with one or more long tails it uses to move

is narrower, focusing specifically on single-celled animal-like organisms
peridinian
vsflagellated protozoan
  • Specialized
9.9

A tiny one-celled creature that lives in the sea with a hard plate-like outer shell

is more general and does not require a plate-like outer covering
choanoflagellate
vsflagellated protozoan
  • Specialized
9.9

Relating to single-celled water organisms with a collar of tiny moving hairs

is broader, covering many single-celled moving forms beyond this specific group
plantlike flagellate
vsflagellated protozoan
  • Specialized
9.9

A one-celled water living thing that makes food from light and moves with a tail

differs by being nonphotosynthetic and more animal-like in many cases

Surface Forms

Morphology

flagellated + protozoan

This is a straightforward adjectival noun phrase where the meaning is compositionally built from 'flagellated' (having whip-like appendages) + 'protozoan' (a single-celled organism). A B1 learner who knows both constituents can directly infer it refers to a protozoan that moves by flagella; the pattern (adj + noun) is regular and cross-linguistically transparent.

Etymology

Flagellated protozoan names a tiny, single-celled creature. Here flagellated means it has one or more long, whip-like tails called 'flagella' that it waves to swim, and protozoan means a single-celled, animal-like organism. So the phrase points to a tiny swimmer that can sometimes 'cause disease'.