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amoeba

a·moe·ba

amoeba

 
pronunciation:
mi b
features:
Word History, Word Explorer
part of speech: noun
inflections: amoebas, amoebae
definition: a tiny living thing made of only one cell. Amoebas move by changing their shape. They eat by wrapping their bodies around their food. Amoebas live in fresh and salt water, soil, and in animals. Most kinds of amoebas can only be seen through a microscope.
Word History
Amoeba is a Latin word that scientists began using in the mid-1800s. The Latin word came from an ancient Greek word that means "a change."
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