What does "hookworm" mean?

Any of various parasitic bloodsucking roundworms which cause disease, especially the species Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus, having hooked mouthparts and entering their hosts by boring through the skin.

Hookworm

Q: What is a synonym for "hookworm"?

Common synonyms include: ;, acute articular rheumatism, african lethargy, ague, alkali disease, amebiasis.

//ˈhʊkˌwɝm// noun

noun ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun

1
Any of various parasitic bloodsucking roundworms which cause disease, especially the species Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus, having hooked mouthparts and entering their hosts by boring through the skin. countable
"A heavy infestation of more than 100 hookworms can suck up as much as 16 fluid ounces of blood a day. Since hookworm larvae can be transmitted through a mother's milk, infestations can kill infants."
2
parasitic bloodsucking roundworms having hooked mouth parts to fasten to the intestinal wall of human and other hosts wordnet
3
Infection with one of these parasites. metonymically, uncountable
"a case of hookworm"
4
infestation of the intestines by hookworms which enter the body (usually) through the skin wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

;acute articular rheumatism african lethargy ague alkali disease amebiasis

Example

More examples

"Hookworm is a worm, a parasite of man, that sticks to the small intestine."

Etymology

From hook + worm.

Related phrases

American hookworm

More for "hookworm"

Synonyms Sentences Pronunciation Translate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation Browse writing guides

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