pinworm

2 7.0

A very small thin animal that lives in the intestines of children

noun
/ˈpɪnˌwɜrm/

: oxiuros

After noticing her child's itching, she suspected he might have pinworms.
pinworm eggs

Examples

And hookworms, roundworms, pinworms... are any of these things life-threatening to your animals?

The Dog Lover (2016)
It's as funny as a gutful of pinworms.

Neighbors (1981)
The doctor explained that a pinworm infection is common among young children.
To prevent pinworms, it's important to wash your hands regularly.

Synonyms

threadworm

vspinworm

1 8.1

A small worm that lives in the intestines of people, especially children

is the plain descriptive name rather than the technical biological term

Enterobius vermicularis

vspinworm

Specialized

7.2

A small thin worm that lives in people's gut, often in children, and causes itching

is the common everyday name rather than the scientific label

Surface Forms

pinworm singular

pinworms plural

Morphology

pinworm = pin + worm (transparent) = pin + worm

The compound denotes a worm that is small or pin-shaped, a meaning learners can derive from 'pin' + 'worm'.

Etymology

Pinworm joins pin and worm, where pin suggests 'small' or 'pin-like' and worm means 'small creature'. So, pinworm is easy to remember as a very thin, threadlike parasite that lives in the intestines, often in children.