rotifer

noun

ro·​ti·​fer ˈrō-tə-fər 

: any of a class (Rotifera of the phylum Aschelminthes) of minute usually microscopic but many-celled chiefly freshwater aquatic invertebrates having the anterior end modified into a retractile disk bearing circles of strong cilia that often give the appearance of rapidly revolving wheels

Examples of rotifer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The process that allowed the rotifer to survive is known as cryptobiosis, a biological state in which metabolic activity slows to nearly zero. —Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026

In this state, cellular components are tightly packed, and the rotifer appears almost completely lifeless. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 15 Mar. 2026

Each daughter rotifer is a perfect copy of her mother. —Byphie Jacobs, science.org, 18 July 2024

Microscopic animals called rotifers, for example, require less than a millionth of a calorie to make one offspring. —Carl Zimmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

ultimately from Latin rota + -fer

First Known Use

1777, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

rotifer

noun

ro·​ti·​fer ˈrōt-ə-fər 

: any of a class of tiny aquatic invertebrate animals with circles of cilia on one end that look like moving wheels when moving

Medical Definition

rotifer

noun

ro·​ti·​fer ˈrōt-ə-fər 

: any member of the phylum Rotifera