nematode

[ nem-uh-tohd ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

any unsegmented worm of the phylum Nematoda, having an elongated, cylindrical body; a roundworm.

nematode

/ ˈnɛməˌtəʊd /

any unsegmented worm of the phylum (or class) Nematoda, having a tough outer cuticle. The group includes free-living forms and disease-causing parasites, such as the hookworm and filaria Also callednematode wormroundworm

nematode

/ nĕm′ə-tōd′ /

Any of several slender, cylindrical worms of the group Nematoda, which some scientists consider to be a class of the aschelminths and others to be a separate phylum. Most nematodes are tiny and live in enormous numbers in water, soil, plants, and animals. They have a simple structure, with a long hollow gut separated from the body wall by a fluid-filled space. Several nematodes, such as pinworm, roundworm, filaria, and hookworm, are parasites on animals and humans and cause disease. One species, Caenorhabditis elegans (usually called C. elegans ), was one of the first animals to have its entire genome sequenced and is important in biological research as a model organism.

First recorded in 1860–65; nemat- + -ode ¹

A few of the nematode species are free, living under stones and among seaweeds at about low-water mark.

The Trichina is a nematode worm, and not an insect, as it was at first called.

Heterodera Schachtii is the name given to a nematode which Mons.

While speaking of these worms, I will allude to a nematode which I observed under very singular circumstances.

The vinegar eel is another nematode worm which has some affinity with the preceding ones.

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