Free-living or colonial organisms with diverse nutritional and reproductive modes; SYN. protistan.
In biology, a single-celled organism which has a eukaryotic cell, but which is not member of the plant, fungal, or animal kingdoms. The main protists are protozoa.
Single-celled photosynthetic organisms, such as diatoms and dinoflagellates, are classified as protists or algae. Recently the term has also been used for members of the kingdom Protista, which features in certain five-kingdom classifications of the living world (see also plant classification). This kingdom may include slime molds, all algae (seaweeds as well as unicellular forms), and protozoa.