animalcule

== English == === Etymology === Learned borrowing from Late Latin animalculum (“lowly or small animal”) + English -cule (diminutive suffix). Animalculum is derived from Latin animal (“animal; living creature”) + -culum (diminutive suffix); and animal from animāle, the nominative neuter singular of animālis (“animate, living; relating to living creatures”), from anima (“breath; life; soul, spirit”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁- (“to breathe”)) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship). The English word is analysable as animal +‎ -cule. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ænɪˈmælkjuːl/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˌænəˈmælˌkjul/ Hyphenation: ani‧mal‧cule === Noun === animalcule (plural animalcules) (physiology, historical) A sperm cell or spermatozoon; also, the embryo that was formerly thought to be contained inside a spermatozoon in a fully developed state. [from 17th c.] (zoology, archaic) A microscopic aquatic animal, including protozoa and rotifers. [from 17th c.] (obsolete) A small animal. [16th–20th c.] ==== Synonyms ==== animalcula (used as a singular noun) (archaic) animalculum ==== Hyponyms ==== ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== animalcula (used as a singular noun) animalculum ==== Translations ==== === References === === Further reading === animalcule on Wikipedia.Wikipedia == French == === Noun === animalcule m (plural animalcules) animalcule === Further reading === “animalcule”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012