- any parasitic worm of the phylum or class Acanthocephala, having a proboscis covered with recurved hooks.
- belonging or pertaining to the Acanthocephala.
- any of the parasitic wormlike invertebrates of the phylum Acanthocephala, the adults of which have a spiny proboscis and live in the intestines of vertebrates
- of, relating to, or belonging to the Acanthocephala
