polychaete

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

pol·y·chaete

(pŏl′ĭ-kēt′)

Any of various annelid worms of the class Polychaeta, including mostly marine worms such as the lugworm, and characterized by fleshy paired appendages tipped with bristles on each body segment.

[New Latin Polychaeta, class name, from Greek polukhaitēs, with much hair : polu-, poly- + khaitē, long hair.]

pol′y·chaete′, pol′y·chae′tous adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

polychaete

(ˈpɒlɪˌkiːt) or

polychete

(Animals) any marine annelid worm of the class Polychaeta, having a distinct head and paired fleshy appendages (parapodia) that bear bristles (chaetae or setae) and are used in swimming: includes the lugworms, ragworms, and sea mice

adj

(Animals) of, relating to, or belonging to the class Polychaeta

[C19: from New Latin, from Greek polukhaitēs: having much hair; see chaeta]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pol•y•chaete

(ˈpɒl ɪˌkit)

n.

1. any of various marine annelid worms of the class Polychaeta, having regularly paired body bristles and often other appendages.

adj.

2. Also, pol`y•chae′tous. belonging or pertaining to the Polychaeta.

[1885–90; < New Latin Polychaeta, neuter pl. of polychaetus (with change of declension) < Greek polychaítēs having much hair. See poly-, chaeta]

pol·y·chaete

(pŏl′ĭ-kēt′)

Any of various often brightly colored, meat-eating worms that are related to earthworms and leeches and usually live in the ocean. Each segment of a polychaete has a pair of fleshy appendages that are tipped with bristles, used for swimming or burrowing.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun

polychaete - chiefly marine annelids possessing both sexes and having paired appendages (parapodia) bearing bristles

polychaete worm, polychete, polychete worm

annelid, annelid worm, segmented worm - worms with cylindrical bodies segmented both internally and externally

class Polychaeta, Polychaeta - marine annelid worms

lobworm, lugworm, lug - marine worms having a row of tufted gills along each side of the back; often used for fishing bait

sea mouse - any of several large worms having a broad flattened body with a mat of coarse hairs covering the back

bloodworm - a segmented marine worm with bright red body; often used for bait

References in periodicals archive ?

Polychaete colour is pale red or brown in live condition.

Ecological significance of the association between Stomopneustes variolaris (Echinoidea) and Lumbrineris latreilli (Polychaeta) from Visakhapatnam Coast, India

In the eastern Bering Sea, Walleye Pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) and Chionoecetes crabs were the main prey items, with minor contributions from polychaete worms, shrimps, and other crabs (Mito 1974; Brodeur and Livingston 1988).

Life-history aspects of the Yellow Irish Lord (Hemilepidotus jordani) in the Eastern Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands

Researchers found that some species of polychaete worms are able to modify their metabolic rates to better cope with and thrive in waters high in carbon dioxide (CO2), which is otherwise poisonous to other, often closely-related species.

How marine life adapts to acidification of oceans revealed

Larvae feed on zooplankton, fish eggs and invertebrates; postlarvae and juveniles consume copepods, nematodes and polychaete worms; and adults consume mostly amphipods, polychaetes, mysid shrimp, and mollusks (Roelofs 1954; Parker 1971; Sheridan 1979; Hodson et al.

Habitat use and diets of juvenile spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) and Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) in a small estuary at Mad Island Marsh, Texas

(36%) Scoloplos armiger (8%) Laminaria saccharina (16%) Mud Yoldia hyperborea (34%) filamentous green algae Astarte montagui (28%) (49%) Cerianthus Aglaophamus neotenus (25%) borealis (23%) Praxillella gracilis (5%) Coccotylus truncatus (19%) In Gjoa Haven, the most common species among the grab samples were a suspension-feeding bivalve (Astarte montagui), a deposit-feeding bivalve (Yoldia hyperborea), a deposit-feeding polychaete (Scoloplos armiger), and a carnivorous polychaete (Aglaophamus neotenus) (Table 3).

Benthic marine fauna and flora of two nearshore coastal locations in the Western and central Canadian Arctic

A new species of the polychaete family Cossuridae is described from Venezuela.

A new species of cossuridae (annelida: polychaeta) from Venezuela/Una nueva especie de cossuridae (annelida: polychaeta) de Venezuela/Uma nova especie de cossuridae (annelida: polychaeta) da Venezuela

Competition for food between the introduced exotic polychaete Marenzelleria viridis and the resident native amphipod Monoporeia affinis in the Baltic Sea.

The first finding of the Ponto-Caspian mysid shrimp Hemimysis anomala G. O. Sars (Mysidae) in the Estonian coastal sea/Ponto-Kaspia paritolu musiidi Hemimysis anomala esmaleid Eesti rannikumeres

Along with the volunteers, members of Northumbria Police, Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service, Northumbria Probation Service, Lynemouth Community Trust, Rio Tinto Alcan, Lynemouth Parish Council and Shoreline Polychaete Farms also took part.

Huge clean-up at coast

As it turns out, there is another segmented marine worm, or polychaete, that haunts Florida's waters.

Worm swarm in Southeast Florida: anglers and biologists decipher a spectacular snook fishing mystery

Polychaete Associations in a Subtropical Environment (Sao Sebastiao Channel, Brazil): A Structural Analysis.

Seasonal and spatial variations of macrobenthic invertebrates in three Mississippi Gulf Coast bayous

It supports a rich invertebrate fauna, mainly consisting of polychaete worms, mollusks, and brachyuran crabs.