phylum Platyhelminthes
- noun
- /ˈfaɪləm ˌplætɪˈhɛlmɪnθiz/
- Specialized
- The phylum Platyhelminthes includes organisms such as planarians and tapeworms.
Examples
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Some parasites that infect humans belong to the phylum Platyhelminthes.
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The phylum Platyhelminthes includes various species of flatworms.
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Biology students studied the anatomy of animals in the phylum Platyhelminthes under the microscope.
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Many scientists study the phylum Platyhelminthes for its unique characteristics.
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The phylum Platyhelminthes includes organisms such as planarians and tapeworms.
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Biology students studied the anatomy of animals in the phylum Platyhelminthes under the microscope.
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Some parasites that infect humans belong to the phylum Platyhelminthes.
Synonyms
A soft worm with a flat body that lives inside other animals or on the sea floor
A group of simple soft flat animals without legs often called flatworms
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward taxonomic noun phrase: 'phylum' plus the proper taxonomic name 'Platyhelminthes', so a learner who knows both constituents will understand it as the phylum called Platyhelminthes (i.e. flatworms). The construction follows regular naming patterns ("rank + name") and is non-idiomatic, so the meaning is directly derivable from the parts.
Etymology
Phylum Platyhelminthes comes from Greek words platy meaning 'flat' and helminth meaning 'worm', so the name literally says 'flat worms'. Today the word names the group of soft, simple animals like planarians and tapeworms that have a flat body.