flatworm

[ flat-wurm ]

noun

1. any worm of the phylum Platyhelminthes, having bilateral symmetry and a soft, solid, usually flattened body, including the planarians, tapeworms, and trematodes; platyhelminth.

flatworm

/ ˈflætˌwɜːm /

noun

1. any parasitic or free-living invertebrate of the phylum Platyhelminthes , including planarians, flukes, and tapeworms, having a flattened body with no circulatory system and only one opening to the intestine

flatworm

/ flăt′wûrm′ /

1. Any of various parasitic and nonparasitic worms of the phylum Platyhelminthes, characteristically having a soft, flat, bilaterally symmetrical body. Flatworms lack a coelom (body cavity), respiratory system, and circulatory system, but are the most primitive invertebrates to have a brain. The evolutionary history of flatworms is uncertain, but they share some basic characteristics with rotifers, nematodes, and a few other invertebrate phyla. Cestodes (tapeworms), planarians, and trematodes (flukes) are flatworms.

Word History and Origins

Origin of flatworm¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; flat ¹ + worm

Example Sentences

Sikes has been working with acoels for about 20 years, and their symbiotic relationship differentiates them from other animals that regenerate, like planarian flatworms and axolotls.

From Science Daily

Solana and his group had previously focused on stem cells in a different type of worm: the planarian, or flatworm.

From Science Daily

A paper published this week in the journal Pathogens describes how the team used DNA to confirm the identity of both the snails and the flatworm.

From Science Daily

A parasite called Heterobilharzia americana, a flatworm commonly referred to as liver fluke, was behind the illness of the 11 dogs.

From Los Angeles Times

"It's easy when you're working with fruit flies or flatworms, but doing transgenic experiments on turtles is pretty much impossible," she said.

From Science Daily