amebula

English

Alternative forms

• amoebula (Commonwealth), amœbula (dated)

Etymology

From ameba +‎ -ula.

Noun

amebula (plural amebulas or amebulae or amebulæ)

1. (biology) A small amoeba (or an organism which resembles one).
   • 1915, Annual Report and Transactions, Manchester: Manchester Microscopical Society, page 82:

     The adult stage is realised by the formation of a plasmodium which begins early in life to form spores. There are never any flagellated stages in this group, but always amoebulæ.

   • 1928 December, H. J. Howard, “President's Address”, in Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society, volume XII, Norwich, Norfolk: A. E. Soman & Co., Ltd., part IV, page 504:

     He saw the swarm-cells swim with a peculiar dancing motion, divide, withdraw the organ of locomotion called the flagellum, and then creep about as amoebulæ. Although he did not actually note the union of the amoebulæ, he inferred that the young plasmodia seen in his cultures arose from their fusion.

   • 1962 October 20, Monica Taylor, “Abnormal Crystals in Amoeba lescherae”, in Nature, volume 196, number 4851, Nature Portfolio, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 290, column 2:

     After the lapse of a varying period of time (a week, more or less) subsequent to the changing of the pH, a search with the No. 7 objective water immersion lens will reveal large numbers of hatching spores, and creeping amoebulæ of various ages.

Further reading

• “amebula”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.