scolex

noun

sco·​lex ˈskō-ˌleks 

plural scolices ˈskō-lə-ˌsēz  also scoleces ˈskō-lə-ˌsēz 

ˈskä-

: the head of a tapeworm either in the larva or adult stage

Examples of scolex in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Arrow identifies the scolex. —Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 27 Sep. 2011

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, originally the name of a tapeworm genus, borrowed from Greek skōlēk-, skṓlēx "worm," (in plural) "larvae, grubs," of uncertain origin

Note: P. Chantraine (Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque) follows others in associating Greek skṓlēx with a presumed word skṓlos used by the glossator Hesychius in the dative plural: skṓloisi ‧ drepánois, dià tḕn skoliótēta ("skṓloisi : scythes, from its curved form"), but the semantic link is tenuous and the presumed lengthened-grade vowel is difficult to account for. The word skṓloisi would then be further connected with skōlýptesthai "to wave to and fro" (attested once), skoliós "bent, crooked," and skélos "leg" (see isosceles).

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

scolex

noun

sco·​lex ˈskō-ˌleks 

plural scolices also scoleces -lə-ˌsēz 

: the head of a tapeworm

Medical Definition

scolex

noun

sco·​lex ˈskō-ˌleks 

plural scolices ˈskō-lə-ˌsēz  also scoleces ˈskäl-ə-ˌsēz, ˈskōl-  or scolexes

: the head of a tapeworm either in the larva or adult stage from which the proglottids are produced by budding