vinegar eel /-ˈɪl/ 名詞



 Nem·a·toi·de·a prop. n. pl.  Zool. A phylum of worms, having a long, round, and generally smooth body; the roundworms.  Called also Nematodea, and more commonly Nematoda.  Formerly, it was classed as a taxonomic order.
 Note: ☞ The trichina, stomach worm, and pinworm of man belong to this group.  See also Vinegar eel, under Vinegar, and Gapeworm.

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 Vin·e·gar n.
 1. A sour liquid used as a condiment, or as a preservative, and obtained by the spontaneous (acetous) fermentation, or by the artificial oxidation, of wine, cider, beer, or the like.
 Note: ☞ The characteristic sourness of vinegar is due to acetic acid, of which it contains from three to five per cent. Wine vinegar contains also tartaric acid, citric acid, etc.
 2. Hence, anything sour; -- used also metaphorically.
    Here's the challenge: . . . I warrant there's vinegar and pepper in't.   --Shak.
 Aromatic vinegar, strong acetic acid highly flavored with aromatic substances.
 Mother of vinegar. See 4th Mother.
 Radical vinegar, acetic acid.
 Thieves' vinegar. See under Thief.
 Vinegar eel Zool., a minute nematode worm (Leptodera oxophila, or Anguillula acetiglutinis), commonly found in great numbers in vinegar, sour paste, and other fermenting vegetable substances; -- called also vinegar worm.
 Vinegar lamp Chem., a fanciful name of an apparatus designed to oxidize alcohol to acetic acid by means of platinum.
 Vinegar plant. See 4th Mother.
 Vinegar tree Bot., the stag-horn sumac (Rhus typhina), whose acid berries have been used to intensify the sourness of vinegar.
 Wood vinegar. See under Wood.


 Eel n.  Zoöl. An elongated fish of many genera and species. The common eels of Europe and America belong to the genus Anguilla. The electrical eel is a species of Gymnotus. The so called vinegar eel is a minute nematode worm. See Conger eel, Electric eel, and Gymnotus.

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 vinegar eel
      n : minute eelworm that feeds on organisms that cause
          fermentation in e.g. vinegar [syn: vinegar worm, {Anguillula
          aceti, Turbatrix aceti]