miracidium

American

[mahy-ruh-sid-ee-uhm] / ˌmaɪ rəˈsɪd i əm /

noun

PLURAL

miracidia

the larva that hatches from the egg of a trematode worm or fluke.

miracidium British

/ ˌmaɪrəˈsɪdɪəm /

noun

the flat ciliated larva of flukes that hatches from the egg and gives rise asexually to other larval forms

"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

Other Word Forms

miracidial adjective

Etymology

Origin of miracidium

1895–1900; < New Latin, equivalent to mirac- (< Greek meirak- (stem of meîrax ) boy, girl) + -idium -idium

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

If it successfully penetrates a snail, the miracidium reproduces asexually and produces thousands of new forms called “cercariae,” which then leave the snail and have 12 hours to find the final host.

From Washington Post

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023