/par'euh mee"shee euhm, -sheuhm, -see euhm/ , n. , pl. paramecia /-shee euh, -see euh/ .
any ciliated freshwater protozoan of the genus Paramecium, having an oval body and a long, deep oral groove.
[ 1745-55; paramék ( es ) oblong, oval + NL - ium n. suffix; see -IUM ]