arcella
|ar-cel-la|
🇺🇸
/ɑrˈsɛlə/
🇬🇧
/ɑːˈsɛlə/
small box; shelled amoeba
Etymology
'Arcella' originates from Neo-Latin/Latin, specifically from the Latin word 'arcella', a diminutive of 'arca' meaning 'box' or 'chest'.
'Arcella' was formed in Neo-Latin/taxonomic Latin as a diminutive of Latin 'arca' ('box, chest') and was adopted as the genus name for testate amoebae because their shells resemble small enclosed structures.
Initially, the Latin diminutive meant 'small box' or 'little chest'; over time it became used in scientific Latin as the name for shelled amoebae (the genus Arcella), shifting from a general object image to a taxonomic name for organisms.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a genus of testate (shelled) amoeboid protozoans in the family Arcellidae; single-celled organisms with a characteristic dome-shaped shell (test), commonly found in freshwater habitats.
Researchers commonly find arcella in pond sediment and leaf litter.
Noun 2
a (rare) female given name — used as a proper name in some contexts.
Arcella is an uncommon given name in contemporary records.
Last updated: 2025/10/03 23:43