hairworm

[ hair-wurm ]

noun

1. any small, slender worm of the family Trichostrongylidae, parasitic in the alimentary canals of various animals.

hairworm

/ ˈhɛəˌwɜːm /

noun

1. any hairlike nematode worm of the family Trichostrongylidae, such as the stomach worm, parasitic in the intestines of vertebrates
2. Also calledhorsehair worm any very thin long worm of the phylum (or class) Nematomorpha, the larvae of which are parasitic in arthropods

Word History and Origins

Origin of hairworm¹

First recorded in 1650–60; hair + worm

Example Sentences

"The many cases of horizontal gene transfer that we have found in the hairworm can be a good model for study," Mishina says.

From Science Daily

They found over 3,000 hairworm genes that were expressed more when hosts were being manipulated, and 1,500 hairworm genes that were expressed less.

From Science Daily

Hairworm parasitoids that make grasshoppers jump into water and drown.

From Washington Post

One particularly intriguing example of parasitic manipulation occurs when a hairworm infects a grasshopper and seizes its brain in order to survive and self-replicate.

From Salon

One example of the complex role parasites can play is a hairworm that lives in grasshoppers in Japan and tends to lead its host to jump into water, where the grasshoppers become a major food source for rare fish.

From The Guardian