hairworm

[ hair-wurm ]

/ ˈhɛərˌwɜrm /

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noun

any small, slender worm of the family Trichostrongylidae, parasitic in the alimentary canals of various animals.

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Origin of hairworm

First recorded in 1650–60; hair + worm

Words nearby hairworm

hairtail, hair transplant, hair trigger, hairweave, hairweaving, hairworm, hairy, hairyback, hairy cell leukemia, hairy-faced, hairy frog

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

How to use hairworm in a sentence

Here, too, comes that "hairworm" (Gordius), which most country folks call "hair eel" or "hair snake."
Zoology: The Science of Animal Life|Ernest Ingersoll

British Dictionary definitions for hairworm

hairworm

/ (ˈhɛəˌwɜːm) /

noun

any hairlike nematode worm of the family Trichostrongylidae, such as the stomach worm, parasitic in the intestines of vertebrates

Also called: horsehair worm any very thin long worm of the phylum (or class) Nematomorpha, the larvae of which are parasitic in arthropods

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