miracidium

English

Miracidium stage in the life cycle of trematode species that cause "swimmer's itch"

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μειράκιον (meirákion) + -idium.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌmaɪɹəˈsɪdɪəm/

Noun

miracidium (plural miracidia)

1. (biology) A free-living motile form of a trematode, covered with cilia, which settles in a mollusc intermediate host to become a sporocyst

Related terms

• miracidial

References

• “miracidium”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.