tapeworm infection
- noun
- /ˈteɪpˌwɜrm ɪnˈfɛkʃən/
- The doctor diagnosed her with a tapeworm infection after she experienced ongoing stomach pain and weight loss.
Examples
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Improperly cooked pork can sometimes be the source of a tapeworm infection.
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Travelers are advised to avoid raw fish to reduce the risk of tapeworm infection.
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A tapeworm infection can cause severe abdominal pain.
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Many people are unaware of a tapeworm infection until symptoms appear.
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After eating undercooked fish, she was diagnosed with a tapeworm infection that required treatment.
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The doctor explained that a tapeworm infection can occur if the meat is not cooked properly.
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Travelers should be cautious about food safety to avoid a tapeworm infection while visiting certain countries.
Synonyms
15
5.2
A long flat creature that lives inside the intestines of people or animals
Antonyms
∞
1.0
The condition of a person's body and mind, especially being free from illness or injury
How Severe
66
4.3
13
3.0
107
1.0
- Specialized
5
5.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an infection caused by a tapeworm' is directly and compositionally derived from combining 'tapeworm' (a parasitic worm) with 'infection' (an illness caused by a pathogen), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE. The noun-noun pattern indicating the agent of infection is common and cross-linguistically transparent, despite 'infection' often being associated with microbes.
Etymology
Tapeworm infection comes from the long, flat tapeworm that looks like a piece of tape and can live in a person's belly after they eat raw or undercooked meat or fish. So a tapeworm infection means 'an illness in the belly' caused by that worm.