turbellarian

[tur-buh-lair-ee-uh n]

adjective

belonging to the Turbellaria, a class of platyhelminths or flatworms, mostly aquatic and having cilia on the body surface.

noun

a turbellarian platyhelminth.

Origin of turbellarian

1875–80; < New Latin Turbellari(a) (Latin turbell(ae) a stir, row (plural diminutive of turba turmoil) + -āria, neuter plural of -ārius -ary) + -an

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Examples from the Web for turbellarian

Historical Examples of turbellarian

The third stage in our ancestral series is the turbellarian.
The Whence and the Whither of Man
John Mason Tyler
According to Spengel it resembles at this time in its form and habits a rhabdocœlous Turbellarian.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume II (of 4)
Francis Maitland Balfour
Between the turbellarian and the annelid many aberrant lines diverged.
The Whence and the Whither of Man
John Mason Tyler
Now the turbellarian is small and sluggish, with a fair digestive system.
The Whence and the Whither of Man
John Mason Tyler

British Dictionary definitions for turbellarian

turbellarian

noun

any typically aquatic free-living flatworm of the class Turbellaria, having a ciliated epidermis and a simple life cycle: includes the planarians

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the class Turbellaria

Word Origin for turbellarian

C19: from New Latin Turbellāria, from Latin turbellae (pl) bustle, from turba brawl, referring to the swirling motion created in the water

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