ˌneməˈtōdə noun plural
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from nemat- + -oda (irregular from -oidea )
: a class of Aschelminthes or a separate phylum comprising elongated cylindrical worms without an epithelial coelomic lining, with dorsal and ventral nerve cords, and with lateral excretory ducts, that are parasites of man, animals, or plants or free-living dwellers in soil or water and are known as roundworms, eelworms, or nematodes