Hypertext Webster Gateway: "animalcule"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Animalcule \An`i*mal"cule\, n. [As if fr. a L. animalculum, dim.
of animal.]
1. A small animal, as a fly, spider, etc. [Obs.] --Ray.
2. (Zo["o]l.) An animal, invisible, or nearly so, to the
naked eye. See {Infusoria}.
Note: Many of the so-called animalcules have been shown to be
plants, having locomotive powers something like those
of animals. Among these are {Volvox}, the
{Desmidiac[ae]}, and the siliceous {Diatomace[ae]}.
{Spermatic animalcules}. See {Spermatozoa}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
animalcule
n : microscopic organism such as an amoeba or paramecium [syn: {animalculum}]
Additional Hypertext Webster Gateway Lookup
Gateway by dict@stokkie.net
stock only wrote the gateway and does not have any control over the contents;
see the Webster Gateway FAQ,
and also the Back-end/database links and credits.