hookworm

American  

[hook-wurm] / ˈhʊkˌwɜrm /

noun

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

2. 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.

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hookworm British  

/ ˈhʊkˌwɜːm /

noun

1. 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

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hookworm Scientific  

/ hk′wûrm′ /

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• hookwormy adjective

Etymology

Origin of hookworm

First recorded in 1900–05; hook ¹ + worm

Example Sentences

Adult hookworms live in the gut, and their eggs are spread through feces.

From Scientific American

Drug-resistant hookworms are spreading among pet dogs, and researchers have traced their origins to greyhounds raised for racing.

From Scientific American

A 2017 study found that 73 percent of residents had been exposed to raw sewage in their homes and a third tested positive for hookworms, an intestinal parasite.

From New York Times

Residents are also dealing with the threats to their health due to sewage exposure, like hookworm, which one 2017 study found was present in one-third of residents in Lowndes County in Alabama's Black Belt.

From Salon

Yet relatively few biologists—and hardly anyone else—are more than faintly aware of parasites beyond the tiny sliver of species such as tapeworms, pinworms and hookworms that are irksome or harmful to humans.

From Scientific American