Volvox

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Volvox \Vol"vox\, n. (Bot.)
     A genus of minute, pale-green, globular, organisms, about one
     fiftieth of an inch in diameter, found rolling through water,
     the motion being produced by minute colorless cilia. It has
     been considered as belonging to the flagellate Infusoria, but
     is now referred to the vegetable kingdom, and each globule is


     considered a colony of many individuals. The commonest
     species is {Volvox globator}, often called {globe
     animalcule}.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Animalcule \An`i*mal"cule\, n. [As if fr. a L. animalculum, dim.
     of animal.]
     1. A small animal, as a fly, spider, etc. [Obs.] --Ray.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Zool.) An animal, invisible, or nearly so, to the naked
        eye. See {Infusoria}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: Many of the so-called animalcules have been shown to be
           plants, having locomotive powers something like those
           of animals. Among these are {Volvox}, the
           {Desmidiac[ae]}, and the siliceous {Diatomace[ae]}.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     {Spermatic animalcules}. See {Spermatozoa}.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Volvox
       n : type genus of the Volvocaceae; minute pale green flagellates
           occurring in tiny spherical colonies; minute flagella
           rotate the colony about an axis [syn: {genus Volvox}]