A stiff hair-like structure or bristle found on invertebrate animals, especially worms and arthropods, used for movement or sensation.
From Latin chaeta, borrowed from Greek χαίτη (chaitē) meaning hair or mane, used in zoology to describe hair-like appendages.
Chaetae on earthworms aren't just for movement—they create tiny friction points that let worms grip soil as they burrow, and if you've ever tried to pull an earthworm from the ground, you're fighting against those bristles.
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