-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
paramecium
noun
Examples of paramecium in a Sentence
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'paramecium.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
borrowed from New Latin Paramecium, pre-Linnaean name for protozoa of the genus, from Greek paramḗkēs "oblong, oval" (from para- para- entry 1 + -mēkēs, adjective corresponding to mêkos "length, height, magnitude") + New Latin -ium -ium — more at meager
Note: The name Paramecium was introduced, in both Latin descriptions and English descriptions maintaining the Latin coinage Paramecium, by the English polymath John Hill (ca. 1714-1775) in An History of Animals (London, 1752, vol. 3 of his A General Natural History), p. 4. The word was first used as a Linnaean genus name by Otto Frederik Müller in Vermivm terrestrium et fluviatilium, seu, Animalium infusoriorum … succincta historia, vol. 1 (Copenhagen & Leipzig, 1773), p. 54 (spelled unetymologically Paramæcium, corrected in later publications).
1752, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near paramecium
Cite this Entry
“Paramecium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paramecium. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
paramecium
nounMedical Definition
paramecium
nounMore from Merriam-Webster on paramecium
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about paramecium
Share