nematode

[ nem-uh-tohd ]

/ ˈnɛm əˌtoʊd /

noun

any unsegmented worm of the phylum Nematoda, having an elongated, cylindrical body; a roundworm.

adjective

pertaining to the Nematoda.

Nearby words

nematic, nemato-, nematocide, nematocyst, nematoda, nematode, nematodiasis, nematoid, nematology, nematomorph, nembutal

Origin of nematode

First recorded in 1860–65; nemat- + -ode¹

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

Examples from the Web for nematode

Gordius, gor′di-us, n. a genus typical of Gordiid, a family of nematode worms with a hair-like body.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M)|Various
We have never met with this nematode in the mystacines of Belgium, and yet we have opened them by hundreds.
Animal Parasites and Messmates|P. J. Van Beneden
When myriads of them are thus encysted a kind of nematode tuberculosis is set up.
Parasites|T. Spencer Cobbold
On five separate occasions I obtained one or more specimens of the eggs or embryos of a minute nematode.
Parasites|T. Spencer Cobbold

Some notes on nematode parasites found by Dr. Wassink in rats and mice.
The Biotic Associations of Cockroaches|Louis M. Roth

British Dictionary definitions for nematode

nematode

/ (ˈnɛməˌtəʊd) /

noun

any unsegmented worm of the phylum (or class) Nematoda, having a tough outer cuticle. The group includes free-living forms and disease-causing parasites, such as the hookworm and filariaAlso called: nematode worm, roundworm

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

Word Origin and History for nematode

nematode

1865, from Modern Latin Nematoda, the class or phylum name.

Medicine definitions for nematode

nematode

[ nĕm′ə-tōd′ ]

n.

A parasitic worm of the class Nematoda.roundworm

Science definitions for nematode

nematode

[ nĕm′ə-tōd′ ]

Any of several slender, cylindrical worms of the group Nematoda, which some scientists consider to be a class of the aschelminths and others to be a separate phylum. Most nematodes are tiny and live in enormous numbers in water, soil, plants, and animals. They have a simple structure, with a long hollow gut separated from the body wall by a fluid-filled space. Several nematodes, such as pinworm, roundworm, filaria, and hookworm, are parasites on animals and humans and cause disease. One species, Caenorhabditis elegans (usually called C. elegans), was one of the first animals to have its entire genome sequenced and is important in biological research as a model organism.