1.
[syn: Protozoa, phylum Protozoa]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Protozoon \Pro`to*zo"["o]n\ (-[o^]n), n.; pl. Protozoa. [NL.]
(Zool.)
(a) One of the Protozoa.
(b) A single zooid of a compound protozoan.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Protozoa \Pro`to*zo"a\, n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ? first + zo^,on an
animal.] (Zool.)
The lowest of the grand divisions of the animal kingdom.
[1913 Webster]
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.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Protozoa
n 1: in some classifications considered a superphylum or a
subkingdom; comprises flagellates; ciliates; sporozoans;
amoebas; foraminifers [syn: Protozoa, phylum Protozoa]