heliozoan
- noun
- /ˌhiːliəˈzoʊən/
- Specialized
:
heliozoario
- Under the microscope, the heliozoan appeared to have rays stretching out from a central sphere.
Examples
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A heliozoan uses its long, radiating pseudopods to capture tiny prey in pond water.
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Many biology students observe heliozoans during experiments on protists.
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The heliozoan is a fascinating organism.
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Many heliozoans can be found in freshwater ponds.
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A heliozoan uses its long, radiating pseudopods to capture tiny prey in pond water.
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Under the microscope, the heliozoan appeared to have rays stretching out from a central sphere.
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Many biology students observe heliozoans during experiments on protists.
Synonyms
A single-celled creature with stiff rod-like arms that spread out to move and feed
Surface Forms
Morphology
heliozoan = helio + zoan
Formed from Greek combining forms ('helio-' 'zoan') that are not standalone English words and are unlikely to be known by a B1 learner, so the meaning is not transparently derivable from familiar English bases.
Etymology
Heliozoan comes from the Greek parts helio- meaning 'sun' and -zoan meaning 'animal', and -zoan is the same root you see in zoo and zoology. So a heliozoan is a 'sun-animal'—a single-celled creature with long rays that spread out like sunbeams, which is why it has that name.
