heteronereis

noun

het·​ero·​nereis
¦hetərō+
: a free-swimming dimorphic sexual individual of certain polychaete worms (family Nereidae) characterized by greatly enlarged eyes, enlarged and modified parapodia and other appendages, and more or less complete obliteration of the internal viscera by masses of developing germ cells

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from heter- + Nereis

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Cite this Entry

“Heteronereis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heteronereis. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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