Main Entry: par·a·me·cium

Pronunciation: \ˌpa-rə-ˈmē-sh(ē-)əm, -sē-əm\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural par·a·me·cia \-sh(ē-)ə, -sē-ə\ also par·a·me·ciums

Etymology: New Latin, from Greek paramēkēs oblong, from para- + mēkos length; akin to Greek makros long — more at meager

Date: 1752

: any of a genus (Paramecium) of ciliate chiefly freshwater protozoans that have an elongate body rounded at the anterior end and an oblique funnel-shaped buccal groove bearing the mouth at the extremity