əˌkan(t)thəˈsefələ noun plural
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from acanth- + -cephala (neuter plural of -cephalus )
: a group of elongated unsegmented bilaterally symmetrical parasitic worms that lack a digestive tract, have a hooked proboscis by which as adults they attach themselves to the intestinal wall of various vertebrates, and live out their larval stages as interstitial or digestive parasites, the group being of uncertain systematic position formerly considered a class of Nemathelminthes but now usually made a separate phylum near Platyhelminthes or associated with or included in Aschelminthes
• acan·tho·ceph·a·lan -ələn adjective or noun
• acan·tho·ceph·a·lid -lə̇d adjective or noun