INFUSORIA
Infusoria, subclass Infusoria
(noun) in some recent classifications, coextensive with the Ciliata: minute organisms found in decomposing infusions of organic matter
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Noun
infusoria
plural of infusorium
Source: Wiktionary
In`fu*so"ri*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL.; -- so called because found in
infusions which are left exposed to the air for a time. See Infuse.]
(Zoöl.)
Definition: One of the classes of Protozoa, including a large number of
species, all of minute size.
Note: They are found in all seas, lakes, ponds, and streams, as well
as in infusions of organic matter exposed to the air. They are
distinguished by having vibrating lashes or cilia, with which they
obtain their food and swim about.They are devided into the orders
Flagellata, Ciliata, and Tentaculifera. See these words in the
Vocabulary. Formely the term Infusoria was applied to all microscopic
organisms found in water, including many minute plants, belonging to
the diatoms, as well as minute animals belonging to various classes,
as the Rotifera, which are worms; and the Rhizopoda, which constitute
a distinct class of Protozoa. Fossil Infusoria are mostly the
siliceous shells of diatoms; sometimes they are siliceous skeletons
of Radiolaria, or the calcareous shells of Foraminifera.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition