paramecium

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/
• 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, 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 (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 Tagalog: paramesyo Vietnamese: trùng đế giày, trùng giày

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Latin

Pronunciation

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

Noun

paramecium n (genitive parameciī or paramecī); second declension

1. paramecium

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	paramecium	paramecia
Genitive	parameciī paramecī1	parameciōrum
Dative	parameciō	parameciīs
Accusative	paramecium	paramecia
Ablative	parameciō	parameciīs
Vocative	paramecium	paramecia

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).