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planarian

American

[pluh-nair-ee-uhn] / pləˈnɛər i ən /

noun

Zoology.

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.

planarian British

/ pləˈnɛərɪən /

noun

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

"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

planarian Scientific

/ plə-nâr′ē-ən /

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.

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”; see plane ¹, -ary + -an

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.

See Examples For:

planarian

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 ● May 15, 2024

Even a small part of a planarian can regenerate into a full worm with the typical shape and proportions.

From Scientific American ● May 31, 2023

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 ● Jun. 29, 2020

Vásquez-Doorman, C. & Petersen, C. P. zic-1 expression in planarian neoblasts after injury controls anterior pole regeneration.

From Nature ● Nov. 21, 2017

It is now nearly forty years since the presence of chlorophyl in certain species of planarian worms was recognized by Schultze.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 324, March 18, 1882 by Various

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