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

See Examples For:

hookworm

Because the same drug classes are used for hookworm infections in both dogs and humans, the rise of drug-resistant worms will complicate all treatment.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 18, 2023

Gilleard has successfully adapted a DNA-sequencing technique that can screen hundreds of hookworm eggs from a single dog simultaneously for resistance mutations.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 18, 2023

Thus, every day when the greyhounds go out to run, they are exposed to resistant hookworm larvae from other dogs, and they seed the environment with resistant hookworms of their own.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 18, 2023

Greyhounds infected with drug-resistant hookworm could pass the parasites to other pet dogs.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 18, 2023

That happens with hookworm and many other parasites.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond