acoel

A1C3O1E1L1
UK/ˈeɪsiːl/

noun

Any of the order Acoela of xenacoelomorphs that resemble flatworms and were originally classified as such.

OriginAncient Greek ἄκοιλος →
First used 20th c.Scrabble 7
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Meanings

nounacoel (plural acoels)

plural acoels

  1. biologyAny of the order Acoela of xenacoelomorphs that resemble flatworms and were originally classified as such.
  2. obsoletebiologyA member of the order Acoela of marine flatworms, which lack a digestive cavity with definite walls.First known use 20th c.

    Acoels have no brain or ganglia but a network of nerves beneath the skin that is slightly more concentrated towards the front end.

    2012, Caspar Henderson, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, Granta Books, published 2013, page 89

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekἄκοιλος“not hollow”
  2. Englishacoel

From group name Acoela, from Ancient Greek ἄκοιλος (ákoilos, “not hollow”).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

coale
Cite this entry
APA

acoel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acoel

MLA

“acoel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acoel. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “acoel,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acoel.

Source: acoel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.