Protist
/ˈproʊtɪst/ noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of the eukaryotic, usually unicellular organisms—including protozoans, slime molds and some algae—historically grouped into the kingdom Protista (or Protoctista), now distributed over several clades; any eukaryote that is not a plant, animal or fungus.
"Besides the hundreds or thousands of metres of fungal mycelium in a teaspoon of healthy soil, there are more bacteria, protists, insects and arthropods than the number of humans who have ever lived on Earth."
- 2 free-living or colonial organisms with diverse nutritional and reproductive modes wordnet
- 3 Any of the eukaryotic, usually unicellular organisms—including protozoans, slime molds and some algae—historically grouped into the kingdom Protista (or Protoctista), now distributed over several clades; any eukaryote that is not a plant, animal or fungus.; Any single-celled eukaryote, prokaryote or sponge .
- 4 Any of the eukaryotic, usually unicellular organisms—including protozoans, slime molds and some algae—historically grouped into the kingdom Protista (or Protoctista), now distributed over several clades; any eukaryote that is not a plant, animal or fungus.; Any single-celled eukaryote or prokaryote .
- 5 Any of the eukaryotic, usually unicellular organisms—including protozoans, slime molds and some algae—historically grouped into the kingdom Protista (or Protoctista), now distributed over several clades; any eukaryote that is not a plant, animal or fungus.; Any single-celled eukaryote .
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"The researcher's team chose to study 10 common species of the ciliated protist – or protozoa microorganisms – because of their ability to reproduce."
Etymology
From translingual Protista, from Ancient Greek πρώτιστος (prṓtistos).