noun
- A microscopic or extremely small animal; a tiny creature visible only under a microscope.
Usage: Plural: animalcules; Archaic or formal; largely replaced by 'microorganism' or 'microscopic organism' in modern usage; Historical term used in early microscopy
Examples
- Early naturalists used primitive microscopes to observe animalcula in pond water.
- The scientist discovered numerous animalcula swimming through the sample.
- Leeuwenhoek's observations of animalcula helped establish the field of microbiology.
- Under magnification, the animalcula became visible to the researcher's eye.
- The animalcula were so small that they could only be studied with advanced equipment.