: the distal lobed part of the labium of an insect
Word History
Etymology
New Latin
First Known Use
circa 1760, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Medical Definition
ligula
noun
lig·u·la ˈlig-yə-lə
1
capitalized: a genus of tapeworms of the family Diphyllobothriidae that lack external evidence of segmentation, that as adults are usually extremely short-lived internal parasites of fish-eating birds but include one (L. intestinalis) found rarely in humans, and that develop almost to maturity in the body cavity of freshwater fishes
2
: a larval tapeworm developing reproductive organs and living in the body cavity of a fish