hookworm en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈhʊkˌwɝm/ (General-American)
- (US) audio
Etymology
From hook + worm.
Meanings
-
(countable) Any of various parasitic bloodsucking roundworms which cause disease, especially the species Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus, having hooked mouthparts and entering their hosts by boring through the skin.
A heavy infestation of more than 100 hookworms can suck up as much as 16 fluid ounces of blood a day. Since hookworm larvae can be transmitted through a mother's milk, infestations can kill infants.
1996 October 6, William Hathaway, “PARASITE LINKS MEN IN DARING VENTURE”, in Hartford Courant, archived from the original on 28 Nov 2020:
-
(metonymically, uncountable) Infection with one of these parasites.
a case of hookworm
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| hookworms | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Hypernyms
disease · parasite · helminthosis · condition · worm · helminthiasis · roundworm
Relateds
Synonyms
miner's anaemia · miner's worm · miner's disease
Translations (8)
ga péist chrúcach (parasitic worm) · bg глист (parasitic worm) · pl tęgoryjec (parasitic worm) · fi hakamato (parasitic worm) · tl tiwal (parasitic worm) · tr kancalı kurt (parasitic worm) · fi koukkumato (parasitic worm) · fr ankylostome (parasitic worm)