Amoeba

.
any of numerous freshwater, marine, or parasitic one-celled protozoa of the order Amoebida, characterized by a granular nucleus surrounded by a jellylike mass of cytoplasm that forms temporary extensions, or pseudopodia, by which the organism moves, engulfs food particles, and forms food vacuoles.
a protozoan of the genus Amoeba, inhabiting bottom vegetation of freshwater ponds and streams: used widely in laboratory studies.
Contemporary Examples

I was invited to see Paul when he performed at a very intimate gig at amoeba Records in L.A. a few years ago.
Why We Heart John Lennon Martin Lewis, Harvey Weinstein October 7, 2010

Historical Examples

It was an amoeba, another of those single-celled, protoplasmic mounds of flesh.
Astounding Stories, April, 1931 Various

Amoebiform: having the appearance or properties of an amoeba.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology John. B. Smith

The amoeba never dies; it divides at times, parts of it die here and there, it has no sex, no begetting.
Boon, The Mind of the Race, The Wild Asses of the Devil, and The Last Trump; Herbert George Wells

Of course every living speck, amoeba or newt, has its own individual soul.
Fantasia of the Unconscious D. H. Lawrence

It was perhaps the one described by Dujardin as amoeba limax, by which name it may be called.
The Galaxy Various

Virus or bacterium, amoeba or fungus—whatever it was, it struck.
Despoilers of the Golden Empire Gordon Randall Garrett

We dropped the ship a few feet but the amoeba did not follow.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science July 1930 Various

In the case of the amoeba the division is into two equal portions.
The Biology, Physiology and Sociology of Reproduction Winfield S. Hall

And they all saw the amoeba stop, hesitate for a moment—and come straight for the wrecked borer behind which they were hidden.
Astounding Stories, April, 1931 Various

noun (pl) -bae (-biː), -bas
any protozoan of the phylum Rhizopoda, esp any of the genus Amoeba, able to change shape because of the movements of cell processes (pseudopodia). They live in fresh water or soil or as parasites in man and animals
noun (pl) -bae (-biː), -bas
the usual US spelling of amoeba
n.

1855, from Modern Latin Amoeba, genus name (1841), from Greek amoibe “change,” related to ameibein “to change, exchange,” from PIE *e-meigw-, extended form of root *mei- “to change, go, move” (see mutable). So called for its constantly changing shape. Related: Amoebaean; amoebic.

amoeba a·moe·ba (ə-mē’bə)
n.
Variant of ameba.

Amoeba A·moe·ba (ə-mē’bə)
n. pl. a·moe·bas or a·moe·bae (-bē)

A genus of protozoa of the class Sarcodina or Rhizopoda.

Any of several genera of protozoa that are parasitic in humans, especially Entamoeba.

ameba a·me·ba or amoeba (ə-mē’bə)
n. pl. a·me·bas or a·me·bae (-bē)
A protozoa of the genus Amoeba and of related genera, occurring in soil and water and parasitic in animals.
amoeba
(ə-mē’bə)
Plural amoebas or amoebae (ə-mē’bē)
Any of various one-celled aquatic or parasitic protozoans of the genus Amoeba or related genera, having no definite form and consisting of a mass of protoplasm containing one or more nuclei surrounded by a flexible outer membrane. Amoebas move by means of pseudopods.
ameba
(ə-mē’bə)
Another spelling of amoeba.
amoeba [(uh-mee-buh)]

An animal composed of only one cell that has no fixed shape. It is the best known of the single-celled animals, or protozoa.

Note: The term amoeba is sometimes used to refer to something with an indefinite, changeable shape.

1. A distributed operating system developed by Andrew S. Tanenbaum and others of Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. Amoeba is only available under licence from the VUA, but is free of charge and includes all source, binaries and documentation.
(http://am.cs.vu.nl/).
[Features?]
2. A derogatory term for Commodore’s Amiga personal computer.
[Jargon File]
(1997-05-07)