PLANARIAN Definition & Meaning

planarian

[ pluh-nair-ee-uhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Zoology.

any of various free-swimming, mostly freshwater flatworms of the class Turbellaria, having an undulating or sluglike motion: popular in laboratory studies for the ability to regenerate lost parts.

planarian

/ ��əˈ��ɛə��ɪə�� /

noun

any free-living turbellarian flatworm of the mostly aquatic suborder Tricladida, having a three-branched intestine

planarian

/ ��ə-��â��′ŧ-ə�� /

Any of various small, chiefly freshwater flatworms of the class Turbellaria, having soft, broad, ciliated bodies shaped like a leaf. Planarians have a mouth on their lower side that is often closer to the tail than the head, and a three-branched digestive cavity. If a planarian is cut into several pieces, each piece can grow into a whole new organism.

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of planarian¹

1885–60; < New Latin Planari ( a ) a flatworm genus (noun use of feminine of Late Latin ��ܲ� level, on level ground; taken to mean “flat”; plane ¹, -ary + -an

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of planarian¹

C19: from New Latin �ʱ�� type genus, from Late Latin ��ܲ� level, flat; see plane ¹

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Sikes has been working with acoels for about 20 years, and their symbiotic relationship differentiates them from other animals that regenerate, like planarian flatworms and axolotls.

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Solana and his group had previously focused on stem cells in a different type of worm: the planarian, or flatworm.

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An even more striking example of this apparent “overall vision” of multicellular structures is found in primitive flatworms called planarians.

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The research suggests that cellular guides hidden throughout the planarian body may make it possible for the worm’s newly grown neurons to retrace their steps.

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It has been suggested7 that planarian fission is regulated by gradients in metabolic activity, molecular positional cues or neurohormone molecules along the anterior–posterior body axis.

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