chaetognath

[kee-tog-nath, -tuh g-]

noun

any animal of the phylum Chaetognatha, comprising the arrowworms.

adjective

Also chae·tog·na·than [kee-tog-nuh-thuh n] /kiˈtɒg nə θən/, chae·tog·na·thous. belonging or pertaining to the Chaetognatha.

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. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for chaetognath

chaetognath

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

chaetognath in Science

chaetognath

[kē′tŏg-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.