contractile vacuole

noun

: a vacuole in a unicellular organism that contracts regularly to discharge fluid and especially water from the cell

Word History

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of contractile vacuole was in 1876

Dictionary Entries Near contractile vacuole

contractile cell

contractile vacuole

contract in

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Contractile vacuole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contractile%20vacuole. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

contractile vacuole

noun
: a vacuole in a single-celled organism that contracts regularly to discharge water from the cell

Medical Definition

contractile vacuole

noun
: a vacuole in a unicellular organism that contracts regularly to discharge fluid from the body

More from Merriam-Webster on contractile vacuole

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about contractile vacuole

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

What does 'at large' mean?

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-hard-hat-hammer
Odd Jobs Quiz Work smarter, not harder, to figure out these occ...