animate thing

a living thing that has (or can develop) the ability to act or function independently

living things collectively

a discrete unit of living matter

(biology) the basic structural and functional unit of all organisms; they may exist as independent units of life (as in monads) or may form colonies or tissues as in higher plants and animals

organisms (plants and animals) that live at or near the bottom of a sea

a plant or animal that is atypically small

an organism that depends on complex organic substances for nutrition

an organism (plant or animal) from which younger ones are obtained

a human being

a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

(botany) a living organism lacking the power of locomotion

indigenous plants and animals

a cell or organism in which genetic recombination has occurred

an organism belonging to the same species as another organism

(genetics) an organism that possesses a recessive gene whose effect is masked by a dominant allele; the associated trait is not apparent but can be passed on to offspring

a plant or animal naturalized in a region

(genetics) an organism or cell having a diploid set of chromosomes from each parent

(genetics) an organism or cell having the normal amount of DNA per cell; i.e., two sets of chromosomes or twice the haploid number

(genetics) an organism or cell having only one complete set of chromosomes

(genetics) an organism or cell having a chromosome number that is not an even multiple of the haploid chromosome number for that species

(genetics) an organism or cell having more than twice the haploid number of chromosomes

microscopic organism such as an amoeba or paramecium

any organism of microscopic size

an organism (especially a bacterium) that requires air or free oxygen for life

an organism (especially a bacterium) that does not require air or free oxygen to live

(genetics) an organism that is the offspring of genetically dissimilar parents or stock; especially offspring produced by breeding plants or animals of different varieties or breeds or species

an organism that can assume more than one adult form as in the castes of ants or termites

an animal or plant that bears a relationship to another (as related by common descent or by membership in the same genus)

the aggregate of small plant and animal organisms that float or drift in great numbers in fresh or salt water

the aggregate of actively swimming animals in a body of water ranging from microscopic organisms to whales

an animal or plant that lives in or on a host (another animal or plant); it obtains nourishment from the host without benefiting or killing the host

an animal or plant that nourishes and supports a parasite; it does not benefit and is often harmed by the association

either of two different animal or plant species living in close association but not interdependent

an organism such as an insect that habitually shares the nest of a species of ant

an organism with cells characteristic of all life forms except primitive microorganisms such as bacteria; i.e. an organism with `good' or membrane-bound nuclei in its cells

a unicellular organism having cells lacking membrane-bound nuclei; bacteria are the prime example but also included are blue-green algae and actinomycetes and mycoplasma

one of the distinct individuals forming a colonial animal such as a bryozoan or hydrozoan

any cell resulting from cleavage of a fertilized egg

any cell or one-celled organism equipped with a flagellum

any of several elongated, threadlike cells (especially a muscle fiber or a nerve fiber)

specialized cells in the liver that destroy bacteria, foreign proteins, and worn-out blood cells

a cell that produces insulin in the isles of Langerhans in the pancreas

any of the cells of a plant or animal except the reproductive cells; a cell that does not participate in the production of gametes

a mass of undifferentiated cells from which an organ or body part develops

(genetics) the diploid cell resulting from the union of a haploid spermatozoon and ovum (including the organism that develops from that cell)

a cell resulting from parthenogenesis

a cell of an embryo

a cell without a nucleus (as an erythrocyte)

a spermatozoon or an ovum; a cell responsible for transmitting DNA to the next generation

an immature animal or plant cell that develops into a gamete by meiosis

a small cell containing little cytoplasm that is produced along with the oocyte and later discarded

a cell in the testes that secretes the hormone testosterone

elongated cells found in the seminiferous tubules of the testis; apparently they nourish the spermatids

a group of genetically identical cells or organisms derived from a single cell or individual by some kind of asexual reproduction

all living things (except people) that are undomesticated

an organism that has the characteristics of a more primitive type of that organism

a single organism

a person or animal that is adopted by a team or other group as a symbolic figure

(biology) an organism that has characteristics resulting from chromosomal alteration

anything living after Noah's flood

an organism (person or animal) that sits

an organism (person or animal) that stands

an organism that can utter vocal sounds

a cell that is a structural and functional unit of a plant

primitive cell or group of cells from which a mother cell develops

a cell formed by the division or budding of another cell

cell from which another cell of an organism (usually of a different sort) develops

an organism of the kingdom Fungi lacking chlorophyll and feeding on organic matter; ranging from unicellular or multicellular organisms to spore-bearing syncytia

organisms without vascular tissue: e.g. algae, lichens, fungi, mosses

an organism or species surviving as a remnant of an otherwise extinct flora or fauna in an environment much changed from that in which it originated

one of a string of thick walled vegetative resting cells formed by some algae and fungi

a body that resembles a spore but is not an endospore; produced by some bacteria

an organism that feeds on dead organic matter especially a fungus or bacterium

an organism that lives in and derives its nourishment from organic matter in stagnant or foul water

an organism that lives in an oxygenated medium lacking organic matter