acoel

English

Etymology

From group name Acoela, from Ancient Greek ἄκοιλος (ákoilos, “not hollow”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈeɪsiːl/

Noun

acoel (plural acoels)

1. (zoology) A member of the Acoela group of marine flatworms, which lack a digestive cavity with definite walls. [from 20th c.]
   • 2012, Caspar Henderson, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, Granta Books, published 2013, page 89:

     Acoels have no brain or ganglia but a network of nerves beneath the skin that is slightly more concentrated towards the front end.

Anagrams

• Coale