anoplocephalan
|an-o-plo-ceph-a-lan|
🇺🇸
/ˌænəploʊˈsɛfələn/
🇬🇧
/ˌænəpləˈsɛfələn/
unarmed-head tapeworm
Etymology
'anoplocephalan' originates from New Latin (genus name 'Anoplocephala'), ultimately from Greek components where 'an-' meant 'without', 'hoplon' (or 'hopl-') meant 'weapon/armature', and 'kephale' meant 'head'.
'anoplocephalan' changed from the New Latin genus name 'Anoplocephala' (used in 19th-century taxonomy) and was adopted into English as the noun/adjective 'anoplocephalan'.
Initially, the term described the morphological trait 'having an unarmed head' (i.e., lacking hooks/armature on the scolex), but over time it evolved into the biological sense 'a tapeworm of the family Anoplocephalidae' or 'relating to that family'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a tapeworm belonging to the family Anoplocephalidae; a parasitic cestode often found in mammals such as horses and ruminants.
The horse was infected with anoplocephalan parasites.
Synonyms
Adjective 1
relating to or characteristic of members of the family Anoplocephalidae.
Researchers studied the anoplocephalan life cycle in grazing animals.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/27 02:52