cercaria

[ ser-kair-ee-uh ]

noun,plural cer·car·i·ae

[ser-kair-ee-ee]. /sərˈkɛər iˌi/. Zoology.

the disk-shaped larva of flukes of the class Trematoda, having a taillike appendage.

Origin of cercaria

1830–40; <New Latin, equivalent to cerc- (<Greek kérkos tail) + -āria-aria

Other words from cercaria

cer·car·i·al, adjective
cer·car·i·an, adjective, noun
pseu·do·cer·car·i·a, noun, plural pseu·do·cer·car·i·ae.

Words Nearby cercaria

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cercaria in a sentence

By drinking the water which contains the cercaria of this species, they grow infested by this singular lodger.
Animal Parasites and Messmates | P. J. Van Beneden
Claparde has also observed another free cercaria which bears the name of Pachycerca.
Animal Parasites and Messmates | P. J. Van Beneden
The cercaria setifera of J. Mller has been found free and attached to the lower surface of some medus.
Animal Parasites and Messmates | P. J. Van Beneden
It is always of a deep colour, and is doubtless introduced in the state of cercaria, when the animal is drinking.
Animal Parasites and Messmates | P. J. Van Beneden
There are some grounds for comparing the scolex to the cercaria of Trematodes, cf. Archigetes.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume II (of 4) | Francis Maitland Balfour

British Dictionary definitions for cercaria

cercaria

/ (səˈkɛərɪə) /

nounplural -iae (-ɪˌiː)

one of the larval forms of trematode worms. It has a short forked tail and resembles an immature adult

Origin of cercaria

C19: New Latin, literally: tailed creature, from Greek kerkos tail

Derived forms of cercaria

cercarial, adjective
cercarian, adjective, noun

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

Browse