hookworm

[ hoo k-wurm ]

/ ˈhʊkˌwɜrm /

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.

Nearby words

hooknose, hooks, hookswinging, hooktender, hookup, hookworm, hookworm disease, hooky, hooley, hoolie, hooligan

Origin of hookworm

First recorded in 1900–05; hook¹ + worm

Related forms

hook·worm·y, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for hookworm

But the most efficient workmanlike piece of organization that my mortal eyes have ever seen is Rose's hookworm worm work.
The Life and Letters of Walter H. Page, Volume I|Burton J. Hendrick
They got the hookworm disease in religion and belonged to the shirkers, not the workers.
Studies in the Epistle of James|A. T. Robertson
But the humorous aspect of the hookworm always interfered with his cause; the microbe of laziness had at last been found!
The Life and Letters of Walter H. Page, Volume I|Burton J. Hendrick
But I will break the hookworm lose, and cook its everlasting goose!
Uncle Walt [Walt Mason]|Walt Mason

Had the hookworm, instead of lurking in country lanes, walked the streets, how would it have fared?
The Rural Life Problem of the United States|Horace Curzon Plunkett

British Dictionary definitions for hookworm

hookworm

/ (ˈhʊkˌwɜːm) /

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

Medicine definitions for hookworm

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.

Science definitions for hookworm

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.