acorn worm

or acorn·worm

noun

1. any of several burrowing, often brilliantly colored hemichordates of the class Enteropneusta, usually found in intertidal sand and mud, having an acorn-shaped proboscis and collar.

acorn worm

noun

1. any of various small burrowing marine animals of the genus Balanoglossus and related genera, having an elongated wormlike body with an acorn-shaped eversible proboscis at the head end: subphylum Hemichordata (hemichordates)

Word History and Origins

Origin of acorn worm¹

First recorded in 1885–90