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paramecium definition

para·meci·um (par′ə mē′sē əm, -s̸hē əm)

noun pl. paramecia -·cia (-ə)

any of a genus (Paramecium) of one-celled, elongated, slipper-shaped ciliates moving by means of cilia and having a backward-curving oral groove that ends with the mouth

Etymology: ModL < Gr paramēkēs, oval < para-, para- + mēkos, length, akin to makros, long: see macro-

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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