rotifer

noun

ro·​ti·​fer ˈrō-tə-fər 

: any of a phylum (Rotifera) 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

The process that allowed the rotifer to survive is known as cryptobiosis, a biological state in which metabolic activity slows to nearly zero. — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026

In this state, cellular components are tightly packed, and the rotifer appears almost completely lifeless. — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 15 Mar. 2026

Microscopic animals called rotifers, for example, require less than a millionth of a calorie to make one offspring. — Carl Zimmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2024

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

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 phylum Rotifera