scolex

American

[skoh-leks] / ˈskoʊ lɛks /

noun

Zoology.

the anterior, headlike segment of a tapeworm, having suckers, hooks, or the like, for attachment.

scolex British

/ ˈskəʊlɛks /

noun

the headlike part of a tapeworm, bearing hooks and suckers by which the animal is attached to the tissues of its host

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

scoleces

plural
scolices

plural

Etymology

Origin of scolex

First recorded in 1850–55, scolex is from the Greek word skṓlēx worm

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023