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Glite Dictionary
hypermastigote

hypermastigote

9.9
A tiny single-celled animal with tail-like parts that lives in termite intestines
  • noun
  • /ˌhaɪpərˈmæstɪɡoʊt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : hipermastigote
  • Hypermastigote protozoa are essential for the digestion of cellulose in termites.

Examples

  • The loss of hypermastigote symbionts can severely impact termite survival.

  • Many hypermastigotes inhabit the intestines of termites.

  • Scientists observed a significant increase in hypermastigote populations within the termite gut.

  • The hypermastigote is essential for termite digestion.

  • Hypermastigote protozoa are essential for the digestion of cellulose in termites.

  • Scientists observed a significant increase in hypermastigote populations within the termite gut.

  • The loss of hypermastigote symbionts can severely impact termite survival.

Synonyms

flagellate protozoan
vshypermastigote
  • Specialized
9.2

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

lives inside insect intestines as a helpful symbiotic resident rather than free living
mastigophoran
vshypermastigote
  • Archaic
9.9

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

lives inside insect intestines as a helpful symbiont rather than being free or pathogenic

Surface Forms

hypermastigote singular
hypermastigotes plural

Morphology

hypermastigote = mastigote (opaque) = hyper + mastigote

The word is formed with the productive prefix hyper- plus mastigote, but the specialized biological sense is not readily recoverable for most learners from the parts alone.

Etymology

Hypermastigote comes from hyper- meaning 'more' or 'over' and mastig- meaning 'whip', because these tiny single-celled animals have many whip-like tails to move. So, a hypermastigote is a tiny creature with many whip-like tails that lives in insect guts like termites and helps them digest wood.