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spirotrich

noun

Any of a large and distinctive group of ciliate protozoa, of the class Spirotrichea, typically with prominent oral cilia in the form of a series of polykinetids, called the adoral zone of membranelles, beginning anterior to the oral cavity and running down to the left side of the mouth.

OriginEnglish trich ← Latin spīra ← Ancient Greek σπεῖρα (speîra) →

Scrabble 17

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Meanings

nounspirotrich (plural spirotrichs)

plural spirotrichs

Any of a large and distinctive group of ciliate protozoa, of the class Spirotrichea, typically with prominent oral cilia in the form of a series of polykinetids, called the adoral zone of membranelles, beginning anterior to the oral cavity and running down to the left side of the mouth.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Origin

Proto-Indo-European*sper-
Proto-Indo-European*sper-yeh₂-
Ancient Greekσπεῖρα (speîra)
Latinspīra
Englishspiro-
Englishtrich
Englishspirotrich

From spiro- + trich.

Full word history & related roots →

Cite this entry

APA

spirotrich. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spirotrich

MLA

“spirotrich.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spirotrich. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spirotrich,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spirotrich.

Source: spirotrich on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.