trichina

noun tri·chi·na \ tri-ˈkī-nə \

Definition of trichina

plural trichinae play \-(ˌ)nē\ also trichinas

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

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trichinal

play \-nᵊl\ adjective

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Origin and Etymology of trichina

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

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First Known Use: 1835

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Medical Dictionary

trichina

noun tri·chi·na \ tri-ˈkī-nə \

medical Definition of trichina

plural trichinae play \-(ˌ)nē\ also trichinas

: 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