Plasmodium - Meaning, Definition & English Examples
Plasmodium is a single-celled organism that can cause diseases like malaria. It lives in mosquitoes and spreads to humans through bites, multiplying in the bloodstream and causing illness.
Definition:
A parasitic protozoan causing malaria, or a multinucleate mass of protoplasm in slime molds.
Synonyms:
parasite, protozoan, sporozoan
Part of Speech:
noun
Antonyms:
host, symbiont
Common Collocations:
plasmodium falciparum, plasmodium vivax, slime mold plasmodium
Derivatives:
plasmodial, plasmodia
Usage Tips:
Use "plasmodium" when referring to the malaria-causing parasite or the vegetative stage of slime molds.
Common Phrases:
plasmodium infection, plasmodium life cycle, fight against plasmodium
Etymology:
From Greek "plasma" (something molded) + "-odium" (diminutive suffix), referring to its shape and structure.
Examples:
- 1. The plasmodium causes malaria in humans.
- 2. Scientists study the plasmodium to develop new treatments for malaria.
- 3. Under the microscope, the plasmodium appears as a moving mass of protoplasm.
- 4. The slime mold's plasmodium spreads across decaying wood in search of food.