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Glite Dictionary
flatworm

flatworm

4 7.0
A soft worm with a flat body that lives inside other animals or on the sea floor
  • noun
  • /ˈflætˌwɜrm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : gusano plano
  • Certain flatworms can gradually learn to negotiate a maze.

Examples

  • Schistosomiasis is a disease caused by flatworm parasites that primarily affect people in tropical regions.

  • I can hardly wait to see what happens when you meet... the fascinating flatworm.

    Joy of Sex (1984)

  • I was thinking, 'I had no idea there was so much work on flatworms.'

    Academic text (2002)

  • The planaria, a type of flatworm, were tested with a maze and their times recorded.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Aquatic planarians are very small flatworms, usually about 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) or less in length. They are related to the land planarians.

    Academic text (1993)

  • The planaria, a type of flatworm, were tested with a maze to see how quickly they could find the exit.

  • Certain types of flatworm can reproduce both sexually and asexually, making them unique in the animal kingdom.

Synonyms

platyhelminth
vsflatworm
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A flat worm that lives inside animals or in water

is a simpler everyday description focusing on soft flat body

Surface Forms

flatworm singular
flatworms plural

Morphology

flatworm = flat + worm (transparent) = flat + worm

The meaning is a straightforward combination of 'flat' + 'worm' describing a worm with a flat body; learners can derive this easily.

Etymology

The word flatworm comes from two simple words: flat ('level, not rounded') and worm ('a soft, legless animal'). So a flatworm is literally a worm with a flat body, which helps you remember its wide, thin shape.