noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Any of the parasitic nematode worms of superfamily Filarioidea that lives in the blood of vertebrates and is transmitted by insects: the cause of filariasis.
2. 2
   slender threadlike roundworms living in the blood and tissues of vertebrates; transmitted as larvae by biting insects wordnet
3. 3
   European weed naturalized in southwestern United States and Mexico having reddish decumbent stems with small fernlike leaves and small deep reddish-lavender flowers followed by slender fruits that stick straight up; often grown for forage wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

alfilariaalfileriaclockserodium cicutariumfilareepin clover

Etymology

19th century, from translingual Filaria (name of type genus), from Latin filum (“thread”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.