tapeworm

American  

[teyp-wurm] / ˈteɪpˌwɜrm /

noun

1. any of various flat or tapelike worms of the class Cestoidea, lacking an alimentary canal, and parasitic when adult in the alimentary canal of humans and other vertebrates: the larval and adult stages are usually in different hosts.

---

tapeworm British  

/ ˈteɪpˌwɜːm /

noun

1. any parasitic ribbon-like flatworm of the class Cestoda, having a body divided into many egg-producing segments and lacking a mouth and gut. The adults inhabit the intestines of vertebrates See also echinococcus taenia

---

tapeworm Scientific  

/ tāp′wûrm′ /

1. See cestode

---

tapeworm Cultural  

1. A worm with a long, flat body that can live in the human intestines as a parasite. Infestation with a tapeworm usually occurs as the result of eating raw meat or fish that contains the immature form of the worm.

---

Etymology

Origin of tapeworm

First recorded in 1745–55; tape + worm

Example Sentences

A doctor without firsthand knowledge of Kennedy's medical history told the Times that details described in the deposition pointed to a pork tapeworm larva.

From Salon • May 8, 2024

There are several parasites that can do damage in the human brain, but the most common in the Americas is the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2024

A man in the US who complained of frequent migraines was found to have tapeworm eggs in his brain, likely linked to eating undercooked bacon.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2024

The primary difference, arguably, is that, unlike a tapeworm, humans are conscious and intelligent enough that we can learn to coexist with the life around us.

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2023

Mami had joked many times that the reason I was so skinny was that I had a solitaria, a tapeworm, in my belly.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago