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palolo worm

noun
  1. a polychaete worm, Eunice viridis, that lives in burrows among the coral reefs of several South Pacific islands, producing sperm or eggs in posterior segments that are cast off periodically in enormous numbers.
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Origin of palolo worm

First recorded in 1890–95
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for palolo worm

palolo worm

noun
  1. any of several polychaete worms of the family Eunicidae, esp Eunice viridis, of the S Pacific Ocean: reproductive segments are shed from the posterior end of the body when breeding
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Word Origin

C20 palolo, from Samoan or Tongan
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