scolex

noun

sco·​lex ˈskō-ˌleks How to pronounce scolex (audio)
plural scolices ˈskō-lə-ˌsēz How to pronounce scolex (audio) also scoleces ˈskō-lə-ˌsēz How to pronounce scolex (audio)
ˈskä-
: the head of a tapeworm either in the larva or adult stage

Examples of scolex in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Arrow identifies the scolex. —Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 27 Sep. 2011

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of scolex was in 1855

Dictionary Entries Near scolex

scolecospore

scolex

Scolia

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Scolex.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scolex. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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Kids Definition

scolex

noun
sco·​lex ˈskō-ˌleks How to pronounce scolex (audio)
plural scolices also scoleces -lə-ˌsēz How to pronounce scolex (audio)
: the head of a tapeworm

Medical Definition

scolex

noun
sco·​lex ˈskō-ˌleks How to pronounce scolex (audio)
plural scolices ˈskō-lə-ˌsēz How to pronounce scolex (audio) also scoleces ˈskäl-ə-ˌsēz, ˈskōl- How to pronounce scolex (audio) or scolexes
: the head of a tapeworm either in the larva or adult stage from which the proglottids are produced by budding

More from Merriam-Webster on scolex

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about scolex

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