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chaetognath

[ kee-tog-nath, -tuhg- ]
/ ˈki tɒgˌnæθ, -təg- /
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noun
any animal of the phylum Chaetognatha, comprising the arrowworms.
adjective
Also chae·tog·na·than [kee-tog-nuh-thuhn], /kiˈtɒg nə θən/, chae·tog·na·thous. belonging or pertaining to the Chaetognatha.
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Origin of chaetognath

1885–90; <New Latin Chaetognatha, neuter plural of chaetognathus;see chaeto-, -gnathous
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for chaetognath

chaetognath
/ (ˈkiːtɒɡˌnæθ) /

noun
any small wormlike marine invertebrate of the phylum Chaetognatha, including the arrowworms, having a coelom and a ring of bristles around the mouth

Word Origin for chaetognath

C19: New Latin Chaetognatha, literally: hair-jaw, from chaeta + Greek gnathos jaw
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

Scientific definitions for chaetognath

chaetognath
[ kētŏg-năth′ ]

Any of various small, wormlike marine invertebrates of the phylum Chaetognatha, having often transparent or translucent bodies that are pointed at one end. The head has small hooks for grasping prey, and it contains a large cerebral ganglion of sensory nerves. Chaetognaths are popularly called arrowworms, and are thought to be related to the echinoderms and chordates.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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