hookworm

[hoo k-wurm]

noun

any of certain bloodsucking nematode worms, as Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus, parasitic in the intestine of humans and other animals.

Also called hookworm disease. a disease caused by hookworms, which may enter the body by ingestion or through the skin of the feet or legs, causing abdominal pain, nausea, and, if untreated, severe anemia.

Origin of hookworm

First recorded in 1900–05; hook¹ + worm

Related formshook·worm·y, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for hookworm

Historical Examples of hookworm

The hookworm, deadly as an asp, has got you in its loathsome grasp!
Uncle Walt [Walt Mason]
Walt Mason
But I will break the hookworm lose, and cook its everlasting goose!
Uncle Walt [Walt Mason]
Walt Mason
And physical "hookworm" is accompanied by a similar mental condition.
Prowling about Panama
George A. Miller
This does literally beat the devil; for, if the hookworm isn't the devil, what is?
The Life and Letters of Walter H. Page, Volume I
Burton J. Hendrick
The hookworm disease, ankylostomiasis, has steadily decreased.
The Evolution of Modern Medicine
William Osler

British Dictionary definitions for hookworm

hookworm

noun

any parasitic blood-sucking nematode worm of the family Ancylostomatidae, esp Ancylostoma duodenale or Necator americanus, both of which cause disease. They have hooked mouthparts and enter their hosts by boring through the skin

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

hookworm in Medicine

hookworm

[huk′wûrm′]

n.

Any of numerous small parasitic nematodes of the family Ancylostomatidae having hooked mouthparts with which they fasten themselves to the intestinal walls of various hosts, including humans.

hookworm in Science

hookworm

[huk′wûrm′]

Any of numerous small, parasitic nematode worms of the family Ancylostomatidae, having hooked mouthparts with which they fasten themselves to the intestinal walls of various animals, including humans.