Orthonectid

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A tiny parasitic sea creature belonging to the phylum Orthonectida, which lives inside marine animals such as worms and starfish
2. Any microscopic marine organism of the group Orthonectida, a simple worm-like parasite that infects certain invertebrate hosts
3. A minute wormlike marine parasite classified in the phylum Orthonectida, typically found living within the bodies of other sea animals

Etymology: Orthonectids are tiny parasites of marine animals such as brittle stars. The name is a technical coinage built from Greek "orthos," meaning straight or upright, and "nektos," meaning swimming, and it was made for the group as a whole rather than inherited from ancient usage. The ending "-id" is a standard zoological suffix for members of a group, as in "annelid" and "arachnid." The compound was assembled by zoologists from classical roots, so the Greek words describe the animals' supposed form or movement, not a meaning that shifted over time.