protozoan

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablebiology

   A tiny one-celled organism that can move on its own and lives in water, soil or inside other creatures.

   Grammar: Countable: a protozoan, two protozoans; the plural protozoa is also common.

   Patterns

   • a parasitic protozoan

   An amoeba is a protozoan that moves by stretching its body.

   Some protozoans cause diseases such as malaria.

   Under the microscope, we saw a protozoan swimming in a drop of pond water.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nounbiologyrare

   Relating to these organisms.

   Grammar: Used before nouns such as infection or parasite.

   Patterns

   • a protozoan infection

   Doctors treated the protozoan infection with medicine.

   The pond sample contained a protozoan parasite.

Word forms

Common combinations

parasitic protozoan

A parasitic protozoan can contaminate drinking water.

single-celled protozoan

A single-celled protozoan can still hunt for food.

protozoan infection

The traveler caught a protozoan infection abroad.

protozoan parasite

Malaria is caused by a protozoan parasite.

freshwater protozoan

A freshwater protozoan appeared on the slide.

Synonyms and how they differ

protist

Protist is a broader term that includes algae and other simple organisms besides protozoans.

microbe

Microbe covers any microscopic life, including bacteria and viruses.

amoeba

Amoeba names one kind of protozoan, not the whole group.

single-celled organism

Single-celled organism is a plain-language description that includes bacteria.

Opposites

Word family

protozoa noun

the group name and common plural

protozoal adjective

relating to protozoa

protozoology noun

the study of protozoa

zoology noun

the study of animals

Commonly confused: protozoan or bacterium?

Practice

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