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Glite Dictionary
nematode worm

nematode worm

7.1
A very small thin animal with a pointed body that lives in soil or inside other living things
  • noun
  • /ˈnɛmɪtoʊd wɜrm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : nematodo
  • Is it Penguins, mosquitoes, nematode worms or tardigrades?

I don't actually work on flies, I work on worms, on nematode worms.

Examples

  • They are not related to beetles or to nematode worms or to a lot of other things.

  • The associated land fauna include two small midges and a diversity of sod insects, mites, and nematode worms.

    Academic text (1990)

  • A recent and expanding disease problem in Europe is the spread of nematode worms.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Thus, the gut of a nematode worm, which is little bigger than an eyelash, is a straight tube.

    Academic text (2006)

  • You can currently simulate the behavior of a nematode worm or something similar with a few hundred or so neurons.

    Blog text (7)

  • Each year, filariasis, a nematode worm infection that is usually not fatal, infects millions of people in the tropics and, in severe cases, causes elephantiasis.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Genetic mutations that lengthen or shorten lifespan have been discovered in yeast, nematode worms, and fruit flies.

    Academic text (2006)

  • The nematode worm can cause serious agricultural damage because it feeds on plant roots.

  • Scientists study nematode worms to understand their role in soil ecosystems and their effects on crops.

  • Many species of nematode worms live in water and are essential for nutrient cycling in aquatic environments.

Synonyms

nematode
vsnematode worm
  • Specialized
4 8.6

A small worm with a long smooth body that lives in soil or water

is the same but states that most are free living
roundworm
vsnematode worm
3 5.5

A long round animal pointed at both ends that sometimes lives as a parasite

is more specific in saying most are free living rather than some parasitic

Surface Forms

nematode worm singular
nematode worms plural

Morphology

nematode + worm

The phrase is a straightforward noun-noun composition: 'nematode' denotes a long cylindrical worm and 'worm' specifies its broader category, so the meaning 'a worm that is a nematode' is directly derivable from the parts. Although 'nematode' already implies 'worm' (making the phrase somewhat tautological), the relation is fully compositional and therefore easy for learners who know both words.

Etymology

Nematode worm comes from old Greek words meaning 'thread' and 'shape', so nematode creates the image of a long, thin, thread-like worm. That's why the name describes worms with a slender, rounded body pointed at both ends, some living in soil and some living in other animals or plants as 'parasites'.