turbellarian

UK: /ˌtɜːbɪˈlɛərɪən/ US: (tûr′bə lâr′ē ən)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

tur•bel•lar•i•an  (tûr′bə lâr′ē ən), adj. 

1. Invertebrates belonging to the Turbellaria, a class of platyhelminths or flatworms, mostly aquatic and having cilia on the body surface.

n. 

2. Invertebrates a turbellarian platyhelminth.

• Neo-Latin Turbellari(a) (Latin turbell(ae) a stir, row (plural diminutive of turba turmoil) + -āria, neuter plural of -ārius -ary) + -an
• 1875–80

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

turbellarian / ˌtɜːbɪˈlɛərɪən/ noun

1. any typically aquatic free-living flatworm of the class Turbellaria, having a ciliated epidermis and a simple life cycle: includes the planarians

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the class Turbellaria

Etymology: 19th Century: from New Latin Turbellāria, from Latin turbellae (pl) bustle, from turba brawl, referring to the swirling motion created in the water