rotifer

noun

ro·​ti·​fer ˈrō-tə-fər 

: any of a class (Rotifera of the phylum Aschelminthes) of minute usually microscopic but many-celled chiefly freshwater aquatic invertebrates having the anterior end modified into a retractile disk bearing circles of strong cilia that often give the appearance of rapidly revolving wheels

Examples of rotifer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One candidate, a microscopic animal called a rotifer that is a natural predator in estuaries, looks promising. —Patrick Huyghe, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019

The ones that help the rotifer survive are kept around in the population--some perform useful functions, like breaking certain chemical bonds--while those that don't help die off. —Discover Magazine, 13 Feb. 2012

So if the environment favored sexuality or asexuality the frequencies should change over time as there is heritable variation for the trait within the rotifer populations. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 18 Oct. 2010

Meet the rotifer:The microscopic animal that came back to life after 24,000 years frozen The Paraceratherium linxiaense had a body weight of 24 tons, similar to the total weight of four large African elephants or eight white rhinos, according to Deng. —Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY, 17 June 2021

The tiny creature is called a bdelloid rotifer. —Mike Wehner, BGR, 8 June 2021

The creatures were a type of rotifer, some of the toughest animals on the planet. —Matthew Twombly, National Geographic, 8 Dec. 2021

Genomic evidence for ameiotic evolution in the bdelloid rotifer Adineta vaga. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 22 July 2013

Once eaten, the fungal spores produce cells that threaten to devour the rotifer from the inside out within just 2 weeks. —Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 29 Jan. 2010

Word History

Etymology

ultimately from Latin rota + -fer

First Known Use

1777, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

rotifer

noun

ro·​ti·​fer ˈrōt-ə-fər 

: any of a class of tiny aquatic invertebrate animals with circles of cilia on one end that look like moving wheels when moving

Medical Definition

rotifer

noun

ro·​ti·​fer ˈrōt-ə-fər 

: any member of the class Rotifera