fan worm

American

noun

feather-duster worm.

fan worm British

noun

any tube-dwelling polychaete worm of the family Sabellidae , having long tentacles that spread into a fan when the worm emerges from its tube

"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

Etymology

Origin of fan worm

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Understanding how this biochemically bizarre optical free-for-all came to be requires understanding a little bit about fan worm evolution.

From Scientific American

"Phototransduction in fan worm radiolar eyes."

From Scientific American

The fan worm Bispira melanostigma lives in the Caribbean Sea.

From National Geographic

Having described the dazzling variety of fan worm eyes, Bok now wants to study how they’re wired to the brain.

From National Geographic

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023