tapeworm

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a long, flat parasitic worm that lives as an adult in the intestine of a human or other vertebrate

   The veterinarian treated the dog for a tapeworm contracted from fleas.

2. 2
   noun

   an infestation or disease caused by tapeworms

   Untreated tapeworm can cause digestive symptoms and nutritional problems.

A compound of tape + worm, named for the parasite's long, flat, ribbonlike body. In zoology tapeworms are cestodes; many pass through more than one host during their life cycle.

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