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Glite Dictionary
beard worm

beard worm

9.9
A thin sea animal that lives in a tube on the deep ocean floor and has tentacles
  • noun
  • /bɪrd wɜrm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : gusano de barba
  • Scientists discovered a new species of beard worm near deep-sea hydrothermal vents.

Examples

  • The beard worm absorbs nutrients directly from seawater around its tube.

  • The beard worm thrives in deep ocean environments.

  • Beard worms are fascinating creatures often studied in marine biology.

  • Many beard worms can be found near hydrothermal vents.

  • Scientists discovered a new species of beard worm near deep-sea hydrothermal vents.

  • The beard worm absorbs nutrients directly from seawater around its tube.

  • Many beard worms can be found near hydrothermal vents.

Synonyms

pogonophoran
vsbeard worm
  • Specialized
9.9

A thin sea worm with tentacles that lives in a tube on the deep ocean floor

is the same animal called in common speech rather than as a scientific term
phylum Pogonophora
vsbeard worm
  • Archaic
9.9

A group of deep-sea worms with beard-like tentacles placed in a different worm family

is the organism itself rather than a historical taxonomic rank
Pogonophora
vsbeard worm
  • Specialized
9.9

A long thin worm that lives in the deep ocean near hot vents

is the animal described by its shape and habitat rather than its old class

Surface Forms

beard worm singular
beard worms plural

Morphology

beard + worm

The noun is compositionally analyzable: 'beard' modifies 'worm', so a learner who knows both words can infer a worm-like animal with beard-like bristles or tufts. However, the precise biological details (that it is a slender, tube-dwelling marine animal with tentacles on the deep ocean floor) are specialized and not predictable from the constituents, making the expression only partly inferable.

Etymology

Beard worm gets its name from how it looks: the soft worm body lives in a tube and a fan of hair-like tentacles sticks out like a beard. So the name helps you remember it means 'a slender worm that lives in a tube on the deep sea floor and shows a beard of tentacles'.