tongue worm
any wormlike invertebrate of the phylum Pentastomida (or subphylum of Arthropoda), having two pairs of hooks at the sides of the mouth: all are parasitic, some in the respiratory tracts of mammals.
Origin of tongue worm
1- Also called pentastome, pentastomid.
Words Nearby tongue worm
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
British Dictionary definitions for tongue worm
vet science a parasitic worm, Linguatula serrata, found in the nose of dogs, so called because of the shape of the worm
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
Scientific definitions for tongue worm
Any of various small, colorless, tongue-shaped, wormlike invertebrates of the group Pentastoma, which is considered by many zoologists to be a phylum intermediate in evolutionary development between the annelids and arthropods. Tongue worms are parasites that live embedded in the respiratory systems of vertebrates, especially reptiles and also humans, in tropical regions. They have simple nervous and digestive systems but lack circulatory and respiratory systems. Also called pentastome
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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