platyhelminthes
Noun: * Platyhelminthes: The taxonomic phylum comprising flatworms. These are soft-bodied, bilaterally symmetrical, acoelomate invertebrates that are dorsoventrally flattened. Most species are parasitic (e.g., tapeworms, flukes), though some are free-living (e.g., planarians).
The word "Platyhelminthes" is used almost exclusively in formal, scientific contexts such as zoology, biology, and parasitology. It refers to the entire phylum as a taxonomic group. * The phylum Platyhelminthes includes both free-living and parasitic species. * Students of parasitology must study the life cycles of key organisms within the Platyhelminthes.
- As a taxonomic rank: The term is capitalized when used formally as the name of the phylum.
- The tapeworm Taenia saginata belongs to the phylum Platyhelminthes.
- Platyhelminth (noun): An individual flatworm; a member of the Platyhelminthes.
- The discovered parasite was identified as a platyhelminth.
- Flatworm (noun): The common name for any member of the Platyhelminthes. This is the more general, less technical term.
- The flatworm glided across the surface of the pond.
- Flatworms (common name)
The word "Platyhelminthes" has a single, specific scientific meaning and is not used in other contexts. It does not have idiomatic or phrasal verb uses.
- flatworms