paramecium

/ˈpɛrəˌmisiəm/

Paramecium is a zoological term for a teeny creature that's part of the genus Paramecium.

Any paramecium will have an oblong form and be unicellular. That's how small a paramecium is: it only consists of one cell. To look at a paramecium, you'd better have a powerful microscope. The shape of a paramecium has been compared to a slipper or other type of shoe. Paramecia — that's the plural form — are found in freshwater and feed on other extremely small organisms.

Definitions of paramecium

1. noun

   any member of the genus Paramecium
   synonyms: paramecia

   type of:

   ciliate, ciliated protozoan, ciliophoran

   a protozoan with a microscopic appendage extending from the surface of the cell