hemichordate (redirected from hemichordates)

hem·i·chor·date  (hm-kôrdt, -dt)

n.

Any of various wormlike marine animals of the phylum Hemichordata, having a primitive notochord and gill slits.

adj.

Of or belonging to the phylum Hemichordata.

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hemichordate [ˌhɛmɪˈkɔːˌdeɪt]

n

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) any small wormlike marine animal of the subphylum Hemichordata (or Hemichorda), having numerous gill slits in the pharynx: phylum Chordata (chordates)

adj

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) of, relating to, or belonging to the subphylum Hemichordata See also acorn worm

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hemichordate  (hm-kôrdt, -dt)

Any of various mostly small, wormlike marine invertebrates once thought to be chordates but now considered more closely related to echinoderms. They may constitute their own phylum, the Hemichordata. The bodies of hemichordates are divided into a feeding organ called a proboscis, a ringlike section called a collar, and a trunk. Hemichordates have a gut, circulatory system, and nervous system and are filter feeders. Acorn worms and graptolites are hemichordates.