Cercaria

/sɜrˈkɛriə/ noun

A larval stage of certain parasitic flatworms (trematodes) that has a tail-like appendage and represents a free-swimming stage in the parasite's life cycle.

From Greek kerkos meaning 'tail' plus the Latin feminine noun ending -aria. The term was coined to describe this larval form because of its distinctive tail structure.

📖 Full word page — etymology, 47 translations, audio 🔑 Get Free API Key — 50 lookups/day 📚 Read the Docs — integrate Word Orb