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cercaria

Syllabification: (cer·car·i·a)
Pronunciation: /sərˈke(ə)rēə/

Definition of cercaria

noun (plural cercariae /-ˈke(ə)rēˌē/)

Zoology
  • a free-swimming larval stage in which a parasitic fluke passes from an intermediate host (typically a snail) to another intermediate host or to the final vertebrate host.

Origin:

mid 19th century: modern Latin, formed irregularly from Greek kerkos 'tail'

cercaria in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of cercaria in the British & World English dictionary