1. Plural of cercaria; the free-swimming larval stage of certain parasitic flatworms (trematodes) that emerges from a snail host and seeks a second intermediate host.
Usage: biology; parasitology; technical term

Examples

• The cercariae of the schistosome parasite are released into freshwater environments.
• Cercariae use their tails to swim through water in search of a suitable host.
• Infection often occurs when cercariae penetrate the skin of humans wading in contaminated water.
• Under the microscope, the cercariae displayed characteristic forked tails.
• The life cycle of the trematode includes a cercariae stage between the snail and the final host.