animalcule
(noun)
An older term for a minute or microscopic animal or protozoan.
Examples of animalcule in the following topics:
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Cell Theory
- Despite the limitations of his now-ancient lenses, van Leeuwenhoek observed the movements of protista (a type of single-celled organism) and sperm, which he collectively termed "animalcules. "
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Modern Microbiology
- One of his books contains a chapter in Latin, which reads in translation – "Concerning the wonderful structure of things in nature, investigated by Microscope. " Here, he wrote "who would believe that vinegar and milk abound with an innumerable multitude of worms. " He noted that putrid material is full of innumerable creeping animalcule.
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Intro and major themes
- Leeuwenhoek made a microscope containing a single lens to examine microorganisms he saw bacteria in 1676 he called them “wee animalcules”