taenia
noun
tae·nia ˈtē-nē-ə 
variants or less commonly tenia
plural taeniae ˈtē-nē-ˌī
-ˌē
or taenias 1
: a band on a Doric order separating the frieze from the architrave
2
: tapeworm
3
: an ancient Greek fillet
Word History
Etymology
Latin, ribbon, fillet, from Greek tainia; akin to Greek teinein to stretch — more at thin
First Known Use
1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Medical Definition
taenia
noun
tae·nia ˈtē-nē-ə
1
a
also tenia
ˈtē-nē-ə
plural taenias also tenias : tapeworm b
capitalized : a genus of cyclophyllidean tapeworms that is the type of the family Taeniidae, that comprises forms usually occurring as adults in the intestines of carnivores and as larvae in various ruminants, and that includes the beef tapeworm (T. saginata) and the pork tapeworm (T. solium) of humans
2
also tenia plural taeniae -nē-ˌē -ˌī or taenias also teniae or tenias : a band of nervous tissue or of muscle
-ˌī or taenias also teniae or tenias : a band of nervous tissue or of muscle