cercaria

[ ser-kair-ee-uh ]

/ sərˈkɛər i ə /

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.

Nearby words

Origin of cercaria

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

Related formscer·car·i·al, adjectivecer·car·i·an, adjective, nounpseu·do·cer·car·i·a, noun, plural pseu·do·cer·car·i·ae.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cercaria

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
This organised nurse, which is about a line in length, is the Cercaria cystophora of Wagener.
Parasites|T. Spencer Cobbold
A migration of the cercaria is indispensable to its perfection.
Parasites|T. Spencer Cobbold
Dr Guido Wagener figures similar structures as occurring in Cercaria macrocerca.
Parasites|T. Spencer Cobbold

The infusoriform larva of the Dicyemid, and the Cercaria of the Trematodes, are such forms.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume III (of 4)|Francis Maitland Balfour

British Dictionary definitions for cercaria

cercaria

/ (səˈkɛərɪə) /

noun plural -iae (-ɪˌiː)

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

Derived Formscercarial, adjectivecercarian, adjective, noun

Word Origin for cercaria

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

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

Medicine definitions for cercaria

cercaria

[ sər-kâr′ē-ə ]

n. pl. cer•car•i•as

The parasitic larva of a trematode worm, having a tail that disappears in the adult stage.