Main Entry: tri·chi·na

Pronunciation: \tri-ˈkī-nə\

Function: noun

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

: a small slender nematode worm of the genus Trichinella (T. spiralis) that as an adult is a short-lived parasite of the intestines of a flesh-eating mammal (as a human being, rat, or pig) where it produces immense numbers of larvae which migrate to the striated muscles either directly or through the blood, establish themselves in or between the muscle fibers where they become encysted and may persist for years, and if consumed by a new host in raw or insufficiently cooked meat are liberated by the digestive processes and rapidly become adult to initiate a new parasitic cycle—see trichinosis