tapewormn.
/ˈteɪpwəːm/, U.S. /ˈteɪpˌwərm/ a. A cestoid worm (e.g. Tænia solium), which when adult infests the alimentary canal of vertebrates; = taenia n. 5.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > phylum Platyhelminthes > [noun] > class Cestodes > member of
joint-worm1706
taenia1706
tapeworm1752
cestoid1837
lark-worm?1842
cestode1864
caseworm1906
1752 J. Hill Gen. Nat. Hist. III. 15 The flat Tænia. The Tape-worm..is found in the human intestines, and in those of many other animals.
1799 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 1 277 Successful experiments, not only to discover that unwelcome visitor the tape worm, but likewise to destroy and expel it.
1861 G. H. Kingsley in F. Galton Vacation Tourists & Trav. 1860 163 The trout in some of the lakes have been infested with tapeworm.
b. figurative. A parasite.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > [noun] > a harmful thing or person > thing > slow or stealthy
apostemec1380
cankera1475
cankerworm1580
cancer1597
sap1748
tapeworm1824
1824 W. Irving Tales of Traveller (1849) ii. x. 246 They were absolute tape-worms to my little theatre; the more it took the poorer it grew.
1860 R. W. Emerson Culture in Conduct of Life (London ed.) 127 Can we never extract this tapeworm of Europe from the brain of our countrymen?
Compounds
C1. attributive, as tapeworm infection; tapeworm-shaped, etc.
ΚΠ
1839 G. Roberts Dict. Geol. Tænianus,..tape worm shaped.
1897 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. II. 1019 In many instances of tape-worm infection, the parasite appears to give rise to no inconvenience whatever.
C2.
tapeworm-plant n. an Ethiopian tree, Brayera anthelmintica (N.O. Rosaceæ), the pistillate inflorescence of which is used as a vermifuge.
ΚΠ
1891 Cent. Dict. Tapeworm-plant, the cusso, Brayera (Hagenia) anthelmintica.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1910; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1752