protist

noun

pro·tist | \ ˈprō-(ˌ)tist

Definition of protist

: any of a diverse taxonomic group and especially a kingdom (Protista synonym Protoctista) of eukaryotic organisms that are unicellular and sometimes colonial or less often multicellular and that typically include the protozoans, most algae, and often some fungi (such as slime molds)

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Examples of protist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Viral genes were detected alongside 51 percent of protist cells from the gulf and 35 percent from the sea. — Jennifer Frazer, Scientific American, 11 Nov. 2020 However, as only 22 out of 1,698 protist genomes detected belonged to these two groups, these results are certainly suggestive but by no means definitive. — Jennifer Frazer, Scientific American, 11 Nov. 2020 Any genetic material that differed from a protist’s, the team reasoned, was probably the signature of something the microbes had eaten. — Katherine J. Wu New York Times, Star Tribune, 24 Sep. 2020 Dicty, the prodigy protist, not only solved this maze but also managed to use its self-generating gradient skills to find a shortcut. — Emily Willingham, Scientific American, 28 Aug. 2020 Instead, malaria is a protist, an organism that in some cases dramatically changes form depending on its life cycle. — oregonlive, 25 Jan. 2020 Their emergence more than one billion years ago was a foundational event in the development of eukaryotes, which include plants, animals, protists and fungi. — Quanta Magazine, 20 June 2013 Until fairly recently, myxosporeans were considered to be protists, offshoots of the eukaryotic line that are neither plants, animals nor fungi. — Quanta Magazine, 19 Aug. 2019 In his first book are jellyfish that look like flowers, protists that resemble Fabergé eggs, presented like crown jewels on black velvet, the seeming cosmic vastness of the images belying their actual, microscopic size. — The New York Review of Books, 16 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'protist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.