noun
(also ascaris)
Zoology A parasitic nematode worm of a family (Ascaridae) whose members typically live in the intestines of vertebrates.
‘It also is used to eliminate worms (ascaris and pin worms).’- ‘Raccoons may be cute, but many of them carry raccoon roundworm, an ascarid that can infect children.’
- ‘Roundworms, also know as ascarids, are transmitted from mothers to nursing kittens or through the cat ingesting eggs or other hosts (such as mice) that are infected with the eggs.’
- ‘Ascariasis disturbs the upper part of the body, manifesting irritability, and vomiting ascarids after eating.’
- ‘For a wide-spread disease (such as the non-lethal parasite ascaris) where treatment is cheap and relatively painless for the patient, a cheap and simple diagnostic test is suitable.’
Origin
Late 17th century from modern Latin Ascaridae (plural), from Greek askarides, plural of askaris ‘intestinal worm’.
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