Vorticella \Vor`ti*cel"la\, n.; pl. E. {Vorticellas}, L.
{Vorticellae}. [NL., dim. fr. L. vortex. See {Vortex}.]
(Zool.)
Any one of numerous species of ciliated Infusoria belonging
to {Vorticella} and many other genera of the family
{Vorticellidae}. They have a more or less bell-shaped body
with a circle of vibrating cilia around the oral disk. Most
of the species have slender, contractile stems, either simple
or branched.
[1913 Webster]