plural scolices ˈskō-lə-ˌsēz also scoleces ˈskō-lə-ˌsēz
ˈskä-
: the head of a tapeworm either in the larva or adult stage
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from New Latin, originally the name of a tapeworm genus, borrowed from Greek skōlēk-, skṓlēx "worm," (in plural) "larvae, grubs," of uncertain origin
Note: P. Chantraine (Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque) follows others in associating Greek skṓlēx with a presumed word skṓlos used by the glossator Hesychius in the dative plural: skṓloisi ‧ drepánois, dià tḕn skoliótēta ("skṓloisi : scythes, from its curved form"), but the semantic link is tenuous and the presumed lengthened-grade vowel is difficult to account for. The word skṓloisi would then be further connected with skōlýptesthai "to wave to and fro" (attested once), skoliós "bent, crooked," and skélos "leg" (see isosceles).
First Known Use
1855, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
scolex
noun
sco·lex ˈskō-ˌleks
plural scolices ˈskō-lə-ˌsēz also scoleces ˈskäl-ə-ˌsēz, ˈskōl- or scolexes
: the head of a tapeworm either in the larva or adult stage from which the proglottids are produced by budding