giardia

giar·dia

noun \jē-ˈär-dē-ə, ˈjär-\

Definition of GIARDIA

1

capitalized : a genus of flagellate protozoans inhabiting the intestines of various mammals and including one (G. lamblia synonym G. intestinalis) that is associated with diarrhea in humans

2

: any flagellate of the genus Giardia

Biographical Note for GIARDIA

Giard \zhē-är\ , Alfred Mathieu (1846–1908), French biologist. Giard was an all-around naturalist. He was a student of morphology, phylogeny, and ethology and a supporter of both Darwinism and Lamarckism. He investigated a wide range of topics in biology, including regeneration, sexuality, metamorphosis, experimental parthenogenesis, hybridization, autotomy, and mimicry. The genus Giardia was named in his honor in 1882 by Johann Kunstler.