Standard Lemma guide

planarian

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /pləˈnɛə.ɹi.ən/
  • General-American: /pləˈnɛ.ɹi.ən/
  • rhymes with -ɛəɹiən
  • CMU ARPABET: P L AH0 N EH1 R IY0 AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of various flatworms of the order Tricladida living in marine, freshwater, or terrestrial environments.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

free-swimming mostly freshwater flatworms; popular in laboratory studies for the ability to regenerate lost parts

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: planaria

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: flatworm, platyhelminth

History

Etymology

From translingual Planaria (genus) (from Late Latin plānārius (“lying on a plane”), from Latin plānum) + -an.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: planaire — flatworm
  • German: Planarie — flatworm
  • Japanese: プラナリア (puranaria) — flatworm
  • Portuguese: planária — flatworm
  • Spanish: planaria — flatworm
  • Thai: พลานาเรีย — flatworm