Main Entry: tri·chi·na

Pronunciation: \tri-ˈkī-nə\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural tri·chi·nae \-(ˌ)nē\ also tri·chi·nas

Etymology: New Latin, from Greek trichinos made of hair, from trich-, thrix hair

Date: 1835

: a small slender nematode worm (Trichinella spiralis) that is a parasite of flesh-eating mammals (as humans and swine) with larvae that migrate from the intestines to striated muscles where they become encysted

— tri·chi·nal \-n^əl\ adjective