A parasitic roundworm of the family Ascaridae, especially one that infects the intestines of humans and other animals.
From 'Ascaris,' a genus of parasitic roundworms (from Greek 'askaris'), plus '-id' indicating a member of that group. The name likely refers to the worm's jumping or violent movements.
Ascarids are genuinely horrifying parasites that can grow to 14 inches long inside human intestines, and they infect about one billion people worldwide—mostly in developing countries with poor sanitation—which makes them one of the most common parasitic infections in human history.
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