ˈmərmə̇s noun
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from Greek, cord, string, thread; akin to Old Norse merth fish trap, Old Swedish mærthi fish trap, Middle Irish braige, braiga captive, Greek brochos noose, Old Slavic mrěža net; basic meaning: to plait, tie
: a genus (the type of the family Mermithidae) of very slender nematode worms that as adults live in damp earth often appearing on the ground in great numbers after rains and as larvae live in the bodies of insects