[医] 原生动物门

[ noun ]
in some classifications considered a superphylum or a subkingdom; comprises flagellates; ciliates; sporozoans; amoebas; foraminifers
<noun.animal>

Protozoa \Pro`to*zo"a\, n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ? first + zo^,on an
animal.] (Zo["o]l.)
The lowest of the grand divisions of the animal kingdom.

Note: The entire animal consists of a single cell which is
variously modified; but in many species a number of
these simple zooids are united together so as to form a
compound body or organism, as in the Foraminifera and
Vorticell[ae]. The reproduction takes place by fission,
or by the breaking up of the contents of the body after
encystment, each portion becoming a distinct animal, or
in other ways, but never by true eggs. The principal
divisions are Rhizopoda, Gregarin[ae], and Infusoria.
See also {Foraminifera}, {Heliozoa}, {Protoplasta},
{Radiolaria}, {Flagellata}, {Ciliata}.


Protozoon \Pro`to*zo"["o]n\ (-[o^]n), n.; pl. {Protozoa}. [NL.]
(Zo["o]l.)
(a) One of the Protozoa.
(b) A single zooid of a compound protozoan.