animalcule

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Pronunciation

• IPA: /ænɪˈmælkjuːl/

Noun

animalcule (plural animalcules)

1. (obsolete) A small animal. [16th-19th c.]
2. A microscopic aquatic animal or protozoan. [from 17th c.]
3. (now, historical) A spermatozoon. [from 17th c.]
   • 2001, David M Friedman, A Mind of its Own, Robert Hale 2009, p. 60:

     Inside the animalcules in the thickest part of the semen he saw ‘all manner of great and small vessels […].’

Synonyms

• animalculum

Translations

• French: animalcule
• Portuguese: animálculo
• Spanish: animálculo

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