PROTOZOAN (protozoa)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: protozoa   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does protozoan mean? 

• PROTOZOAN (noun)
  The noun PROTOZOAN has 1 sense:

1. any of diverse minute acellular or unicellular organisms usually nonphotosynthetic

  Familiarity information: PROTOZOAN used as a noun is very rare.

• PROTOZOAN (adjective)
  The adjective PROTOZOAN has 1 sense:

1. of or relating to the Protozoa

  Familiarity information: PROTOZOAN used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PROTOZOAN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of diverse minute acellular or unicellular organisms usually nonphotosynthetic

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

protozoan; protozoon

Hypernyms ("protozoan" is a kind of...):

protoctist (any of the unicellular protists)

Meronyms (parts of "protozoan"):

cytostome (mouth of a protozoan)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "protozoan"):

sarcodine; sarcodinian (protozoa that move and capture food by forming pseudopods)

rhizopod; rhizopodan (protozoa characterized by a pseudopod)

arcella (an amoeba-like protozoan with a chitinous shell resembling an umbrella)

difflugia (a protozoan with an ovoid shell of cemented sand grains)

ciliate; ciliated protozoan; ciliophoran (a protozoan with a microscopic appendage extending from the surface of the cell)

euglena (minute single-celled green freshwater organism having a single flagella; often classed as algae)

flagellate; flagellate protozoan; flagellated protozoan; mastigophoran; mastigophore (a usually nonphotosynthetic free-living protozoan with whiplike appendages; some are pathogens of humans and other animals)

plantlike flagellate (unicellular organisms having many characteristics of typical algae)

sporozoan (parasitic spore-forming protozoan)

Holonyms ("protozoan" is a member of...):

phylum Protozoa; Protozoa (in some classifications considered a superphylum or a subkingdom; comprises flagellates; ciliates; sporozoans; amoebas; foraminifers)

• PROTOZOAN (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Of or relating to the Protozoa

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Synonyms:

protozoal; protozoan; protozoic

Pertainym:

phylum Protozoa (in some classifications considered a superphylum or a subkingdom; comprises flagellates; ciliates; sporozoans; amoebas; foraminifers)

Derivation:

protozoon (any of diverse minute acellular or unicellular organisms usually nonphotosynthetic)

 Context examples 

Substances that are destructive to protozoans.

(Antiprotozoal Agent, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

A recombinant 19 kDa protein derived from the Apicomplexa protozoan Eimeria with potential immunostimulating and antitumor activities.

(Innate Immunostimulator rBBX-01, NCI Thesaurus)

Protozoan infection found in animals and man.

(Coccidiosis, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

A dilated cardiomyopathy caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi.

(Cardiomyopathy in Chagas' Disease, NCI Thesaurus)

Examination of a biological specimen to detect the presence of any protozoan belonging to the Plasmodium genus.

(Plasmodium Measurement, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

A drug used in the treatment of infections caused by bacteria and protozoa.

(Co-trimoxazole, NCI Dictionary)

A genus of parasitic protozoa that is the cause of giardiasis.

(Giardia, NCI Thesaurus)

Infection with parasitic protozoa of the genus ISOSPORA, producing intestinal disease.

(Isosporiasis, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

A genus of parasitic protozoans that includes the causative agent of malaria.

(Plasmodium, NCI Thesaurus)

Leishmania is an intracellular protozoan parasite of macrophages that causes visceral, mucosal, and cutaneous diseases.

(Leishmaniasis Infection Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)