planarian

American  

[pluh-nair-ee-uhn] / pləˈnɛər i ən /

noun

Zoology.

1. any of various free-swimming, mostly freshwater flatworms of the class Turbellaria, having an undulating or sluglike motion: popular in laboratory studies for the ability to regenerate lost parts.

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planarian British  

/ pləˈnɛərɪən /

noun

1. any free-living turbellarian flatworm of the mostly aquatic suborder Tricladida, having a three-branched intestine

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planarian Scientific  

/ plə-nâr′ē-ən /

1. Any of various small, chiefly freshwater flatworms of the class Turbellaria, having soft, broad, ciliated bodies shaped like a leaf. Planarians have a mouth on their lower side that is often closer to the tail than the head, and a three-branched digestive cavity. If a planarian is cut into several pieces, each piece can grow into a whole new organism.

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Etymology

Origin of planarian

1885–60; < New Latin Planari ( a ) a flatworm genus (noun use of feminine of Late Latin plānārius level, on level ground; taken to mean “flat”; plane ¹, -ary + -an

Example Sentences

The team believes this unique independence may explain why planarians can regenerate so completely when most animals cannot.

From Science Daily

Sikes has been working with acoels for about 20 years, and their symbiotic relationship differentiates them from other animals that regenerate, like planarian flatworms and axolotls.

From Science Daily

Solana and his group had previously focused on stem cells in a different type of worm: the planarian, or flatworm.

From Science Daily

When he and his colleagues manipulated pieces of planarians to alter their bioelectric state, the regenerating cells produced unexpected anatomies—for example, worms with a head at each end.

From Scientific American

The research suggests that cellular guides hidden throughout the planarian body may make it possible for the worm’s newly grown neurons to retrace their steps.

From New York Times