Main Entry:

amoe·ba

Variant(s):

also ame·ba \ə-ˈmē-bə\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural amoe·bas or amoe·bae \-(ˌ)bē\

Etymology:

New Latin, genus name, from Greek amoibē change, from ameibein to change — more at migrate

Date:

1855

: any of a large genus (Amoeba) of naked rhizopod protozoans with lobed and never anastomosing pseudopodia, without permanent organelles or supporting structures, and of wide distribution in fresh and salt water and moist terrestrial environments ; broadly : a naked rhizopod or other amoeboid protozoan

— amoe·bic also amebic \-bik\ adjective

[amoeba illustration]