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Meaning of PROTOZOA

Pronunciation:  `prowtu'zowu

WordNet Dictionary
 
 Definition: [n]  in some classifications considered a superphylum or a subkingdom; comprises flagellates; ciliates; sporozoans; amoebas; foraminifers
 
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 Synonyms: phylum Protozoa
 
 See Also: Ciliata, Ciliophora, class Ciliata, class Ciliophora, class Flagellata, class Mastigophora, class Sarcodina, class Sporozoa, Flagellata, kingdom Protoctista, Mastigophora, phylum, Protoctista, protozoan, protozoon, Sarcodina, Sporozoa

 

 

Webster's 1913 Dictionary
 
 Definition: 
\Pro`to*zo"a\, n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ? first + ? an
animal.] (Zo["o]l.)
The lowest of the grand divisions of the animal kingdom.
Note: The entire animal consists of a single cell which is
      variously modified; but in many species a number of
      these simple zooids are united together so as to form a
      compound body or organism, as in the Foraminifera and
      Vorticell[ae]. The reproduction takes place by fission,
      or by the breaking up of the contents of the body after
      encystment, each portion becoming a distinct animal, or
      in other ways, but never by true eggs. The principal
      divisions are Rhizopoda, Gregarin[ae], and Infusoria.
      See also {Foraminifera}, {Heliozoa}, {Protoplasta},
      {Radiolaria}, {Flagellata}, {Ciliata}.
 
Biology Dictionary
 
 Definition: Single-celled, animal-like, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Protista. Protozoans can occur wherever moisture exists. There are many parasites and commensals of plants and animals, as well as free-living species. They cause a number of diseases, such as African sleeping sickness, malaria, and dysentery. They are an economically and scientifically important group. It is thought that the organisms of the kingdom Animalia evolved from ancestors which were protozoans.
 

 

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