acanthocephalan

acanthocephalan definition

acan·tho·cepha·lan (ə kan′t̸hō sef′ə lən, -t̸hə-)

noun

any of a phylum (Acanthocephala) of intestinal worms, lacking a digestive tract and having a proboscis bearing rows of thornlike hooks

Etymology: < ModL < acantho- + cephal- + -an

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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