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tapeworm
noun
tape·worm
ˈtāp-ˌwərm
: any of a class (Cestoda) of bilaterally symmetrical flatworms that are parasitic as adults in the intestines of vertebrates including humans and consist of a scolex usually with suckers or hooks followed posteriorly by an undifferentiated neck region from which buds off an often long chain of proglottids
In most instances, adult tapeworms have little visible effect on their hosts except in heavy infections, which may result in anemia, weight loss, and various secondary manifestations.—Burton J. Bogitsh et al.
called also cestode
Examples of tapeworm in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ferrara bought a metric ton of tapeworm props, hired a scene-stealing Meg Tilly and showed us that, even in docile peacetime, demands of obedience and conformity can be seamlessly co-opted by evil forces, leaving us with zero options of how to live outside their control.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
The most common of these is Taenia solium, aka the pork tapeworm.
—Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 6 Aug. 2024
This priority is so all-consuming that even the already reed-like Kristina seeks dangerous extra credit, dumping her dinners outside her bedroom window, and procuring a black-market tapeworm to further hollow out her insides.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Aug. 2024
For instance, tapeworms lack digestive tracts of their own.
—Kate Golembiewski, Discover Magazine, 1 Aug. 2024
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Word History
Etymology
from its shape
First Known Use
1706, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near tapeworm
Cite this Entry
“Tapeworm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tapeworm. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
tapeworm
noun
tape·worm
ˈtāp-ˌwərm
: any of a group of flatworms that are parasites of the intestines of vertebrate animals including human beings
Medical Definition
tapeworm
noun
tape·worm
ˈtāp-ˌwərm
: any of the class Cestoda of flatworms that are parasitic as adults in the digestive tract of vertebrates including humans and as larvae in a great variety of vertebrates and invertebrates, that typically consist of an attachment organ usually with suckers, grooves, hooks, or other devices for adhering to the host's intestine followed by an undifferentiated growth region from which buds off a chain of segments of which the anterior members are little more than blocks of tissue, the median members have fully developed organs of both sexes, and the posterior members are degenerated to egg-filled sacs, that have no digestive system and absorb food through the body wall, and that have a nervous system consisting of ganglia and commissures in the scolex and longitudinal cords extending the length of the strobila
called also cestode
see beef tapeworm, cat tapeworm, dog tapeworm, fish tapeworm, fringed tapeworm, pork tapewormMore from Merriam-Webster on tapeworm
Nglish: Translation of tapeworm for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tapeworm
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