trematode

[trem-uh-tohd, tree-muh-]

noun

1. any parasitic platyhelminth or flatworm of the class Trematoda, having one or more external suckers; fluke.

trematode

/ ˈtriː-, ˈtrɛməˌtəʊd /

noun

1. any parasitic flatworm of the class Trematoda , which includes the flukes

trematode

1. Any of numerous parasitic flatworms of the class Trematoda, having a thick outer cuticle and one or more suckers or hooks for attaching to host tissue. Flatworms include both external and internal parasites of animal hosts, and some cause diseases of humans in tropical regions, such as schistosomiasis. Liver flukes, blood flukes, and planarians are flatworms.

2. Also called fluke

Word History and Origins

Origin of trematode¹

1830–40; < New Latin Trematoda class name < Greek trēmatṓdēs having holes, equivalent to trēmat- (stem of trêma ) hole + -ōdēs -ode ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of trematode¹

C19: from New Latin Trematoda , from Greek trēmatōdēs full of holes, from trēma a hole

Example Sentences

A trematode has a very specific life cycle, leeching onto three hosts that include a freshwater snail, a fish and then a bird or human who ate the infected fish.

From Los Angeles Times

Digenean flukes are part of a large and diverse group of parasites known as trematodes.

From Science Magazine

California killifish infected with a trematode flatworm, for example, are 10 times to 30 times more likely to become meals for birds than uninfected fish.

From New York Times

Collectively, trematodes make a significant proportion of killifish populations more readily available as meals for birds—effectively subsidizing those predators’ diets.

From Scientific American

Take the trematode preying on the California killifish, a normally secretive bait fish that hangs out in western salt marshes.

From Washington Post