Definition of "hookworm" [hookworm]

• Any of numerous small parasitic nematode worms of the family Ancylostomatidae, having a hooked mouthpart with which it fastens itself to the intestinal walls of its host, causing ancylostomiasis. Also called uncinaria. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Founded in the wake of the tsunami in Southeast Asia, this group now serves both the U.S. and countries around the world, helping prevent diseases such as hookworm, which is commonly contracted through bare feet."
• "Several years previously Dr. Stiles had discovered that a hitherto unclassified species of a parasite popularly known as the hookworm prevailed to an astonishing extent in all the Southern States."
• "A study conducted in Vietnam has added further weight to the view that parasitic gut worms, such as hookworm, could help in the prevention and treatment of asthma and other allergies."