paramecium

See also: Paramecium

English

Paramecium aurelia

Etymology

From Ancient Greek παραμήκης (paramḗkēs, “oval”), from μῆκος (mêkos, “length”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌpæ.ɹəˈmiː.si.əm/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌpɛ.ɹəˈmi.si.əm/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: par‧a‧me‧ci‧um

Noun

paramecium (plural paramecia or parameciums)

1. An oval-shaped protozoan organism of the genus Paramecium.
   • 1983, Robert Drewe, The Bodysurfers, Penguin 2009, page 144:

     The sun beats on his eyelids; inside them a paramecium revolves. A blink and it changes pattern like a kaleidoscope.

   • 1997, Don DeLillo, Underworld‎^[1], 2003 edition, →ISBN, page 560:

     Edgar noticed that Clyde was wearing a necktie with a driblet design. The little figures made him think of paramecia, sinister organisms with gullets and feeding grooves.

Synonyms

• slipper animalcule

Translations

organism

• Bulgarian: чехълче n (čehǎlče)
• Catalan: parameci m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 草履蟲 / 草履虫 (zh) (cǎolǚchóng)

• Dutch: pantoffeldiertje (nl) n
• Finnish: tohvelieläin (fi)
• French: paramécie (fr) f
• German: Pantoffeltierchen (de) n
• Hebrew: סנדלית f (sandalít)
• Irish: paraiméiciam m
• Italian: paramecio (it) m
• Japanese: 草履虫 (ja) (zōrimushi)
• Korean: 짚신벌레 (jipsinbeolle)
• Latin: paramecium n
• Malay: paramesium, haiwan kasut
• Persian: پارامسی (pârâmesi)
• Polish: pantofelek (pl) m
• Portuguese: paramécio m
• Russian: параме́ция (ru) f (paramécija)
• Sicilian: parameciu m
• Spanish: paramecio m
• Swedish: toffeldjur n
• Tagalog: paramesyo
• Vietnamese: trùng đế giày, trùng giày

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /pa.raˈme.ki.um/, [päräˈmɛkiʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /pa.raˈme.t͡ʃi.um/, [päräˈmɛːt͡ʃium]

Noun

paramecium n (genitive parameciī); second declension

1. paramecium

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

	singular	plural
nominative	paramecium	paramecia
genitive	parameciī	parameciōrum
dative	parameciō	parameciīs
accusative	paramecium	paramecia
ablative	parameciō	parameciīs
vocative	paramecium	paramecia