polychaete
noun
poly·chaete
ˈpä-lē-ˌkēt 
plural polychaetes
: any of a class (Polychaeta) of aquatic and chiefly marine annelid worms (such as clam worms or lugworms) that usually possess paired segmental appendages bearing many bristles, produce free-swimming larvae, and are often brightly colored or bioluminescent : bristle worm
Polychaetes are segmented worms that live in nearly all marine habitats, from the shallow seashore or estuaries to the deep sea. … Many species of these worms—and there are at least 11,500 species worldwide—perform ecological functions similar to those of earthworms, their terrestrial relatives.—
Carol Simon
Carol SimonThey come in every imaginable color and pattern, from completely transparent to iridescent to candy striped. You can find polychaetes of every shape from spherical to sausage-shaped to pencil thin, and every size from microscopic to several feet long.—Karen Osborn
Karen Osborn
polychaete
adjective
Examples of polychaete in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Little marine worms called polychaete, a cousin of earthworms, have their own special way of surviving a hurricane.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 26 Sep. 2024
Other scientists studying different animals have relied on transparent substrates like mineral cryolite or hydrogels made of gelatin, the latter of which has been used successfully to observe the burrowing behavior of polychaete worms.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 20 June 2024
The Vanadis Worm: A Marvel of Marine Biology Vanadis bristle worms, also known as polychaetes, live on the Italian island of Ponza, just west of Naples.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
The microbes then form the base of the food web in hydrothermal vents and methane seeps, sustaining bigger creatures, including crabs, mussels, and soft-bodied polychaete worms like Pectinereis strickrotti.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 6 Mar. 2024
Tully has been compared to gastropods (slugs and snails), conodonts (an extinct group of jawless vertebrates), polychaetes (segmented marine worms), nemerteans (ribbon worms), and nectocarids (a squid-like Cambrian organism) in the ensuing decades.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 25 Apr. 2023
Diverse animals such as sea mussels, corals, polychaete worms and certain fishes are thought to synchronize their reproductive behavior by the moon.
—Virat Markandeya, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2023
The anemone that ate the polychaete stayed upright, its body stretched high into the water, for 56 hours after its meal.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 7 July 2015
In all likelihood, they were deposited by small, soft-bodied worms—probably an annelid worm like a polychaete—who could have navigated those tight spaces.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 5 Feb. 2022
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Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 26 Sep. 2024
Other scientists studying different animals have relied on transparent substrates like mineral cryolite or hydrogels made of gelatin, the latter of which has been used successfully to observe the burrowing behavior of polychaete worms.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 20 June 2024
The Vanadis Worm: A Marvel of Marine Biology Vanadis bristle worms, also known as polychaetes, live on the Italian island of Ponza, just west of Naples.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
The microbes then form the base of the food web in hydrothermal vents and methane seeps, sustaining bigger creatures, including crabs, mussels, and soft-bodied polychaete worms like Pectinereis strickrotti.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 6 Mar. 2024
Tully has been compared to gastropods (slugs and snails), conodonts (an extinct group of jawless vertebrates), polychaetes (segmented marine worms), nemerteans (ribbon worms), and nectocarids (a squid-like Cambrian organism) in the ensuing decades.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 25 Apr. 2023
Diverse animals such as sea mussels, corals, polychaete worms and certain fishes are thought to synchronize their reproductive behavior by the moon.
—Virat Markandeya, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2023
The anemone that ate the polychaete stayed upright, its body stretched high into the water, for 56 hours after its meal.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 7 July 2015
In all likelihood, they were deposited by small, soft-bodied worms—probably an annelid worm like a polychaete—who could have navigated those tight spaces.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 5 Feb. 2022
Dictionary Entries Near polychaete
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“Polychaete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polychaete. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
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