Animalcule
Animalcule
Animalcule (pronunciation: /ˈanɪməlˌkjuːl/) is a term that was historically used to refer to small animals or microorganisms, particularly those that can only be seen using a microscope. The term is derived from the Latin animalculum, meaning a small animal.
Etymology
The term animalcule is a diminutive form of the Latin word animal, meaning animal, and the suffix -cule, meaning small. It was first used in the late 17th century to describe microscopic organisms observed by early microscopists such as Antonie van Leeuwenhoek.
Related Terms
- Microorganism: A microscopic organism, especially a bacterium, virus, or fungus.
- Protozoa: A phylum or grouping of phyla which comprises the single-celled microscopic animals, which include amoebas, flagellates, ciliates, sporozoans, and many other forms. They are now usually treated as a number of phyla belonging to the kingdom Protista.
- Bacterium: A member of a large group of unicellular microorganisms which have cell walls but lack organelles and an organized nucleus, including some which can cause disease.
- Virus: A type of microorganism that is smaller than a bacterium and that cannot grow or reproduce apart from a living cell. A virus invades living cells and uses their chemical machinery to keep itself alive and to replicate itself.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Animalcule
- Wikipedia's article - Animalcule
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