paramecium

Everyday

1. A paramecium is a tiny living thing made of just one cell, shaped like a slipper, that lives in ponds and fresh water. tree →
2. It moves by beating thousands of tiny hairs called cilia and can only be seen with a microscope. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons it is a classic example of a single-celled organism (a protist) that pupils look at under a microscope; it eats bacteria and moves, so it shows that one cell can do everything needed to live. Phrases: look at a paramecium, a drop of pond water, single-celled organism.

Examples

• We saw a paramecium in a drop of pond water. tree →
• A paramecium is made of just one cell. tree →
• The paramecium swam fast using its tiny hairs. tree →
• You need a microscope to see a paramecium. tree →
• The teacher drew a paramecium shaped like a slipper. tree →
• A paramecium eats bacteria. tree →
• Many paramecia were moving on the slide. tree →

Note

Countable; scientific plural «paramecia», everyday plural «parameciums» is also seen. Say par-uh-MEE-see-um. It is not an animal or a plant; it is a protist. The tiny hairs are «cilia».