PROTOORGANISM; PROTOOERGANISM
Pro`to*ör"gan*ism, n. Etym: [Proto- + organism.] (Biol.)
Defn: An organism whose nature is so difficult to determine that it might be referred to either the animal or the vegetable kingdom.
PROTOPAPAS
Pro`to*pap"as (, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Gr. Ch.)
Defn: A protopope.
PROTOPHYTE
Pro"to*phyte, n. Etym: [Proto- + Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: Any unicellular plant, or plant forming only a plasmodium, having reproduction only by fission, gemmation, or cell division.
Note: The protophytes (Protophyta) are by some botanists considered an independent branch or class of the vegetable kingdom, and made to include the lowest forms of both fungi and algæ, as slime molds, Bacteria, the nostocs, etc. Cf. Carpophyte, and Oöphyte.
PROTOPHYTOLOGY
Pro`to*phy*tol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Proto- + phytology.]
Defn: Paleobotany.
PROTOPINE
Pro"to*pine, n. Etym: [Proto- + opium.] (Chem.)