Definition

Describing a substance that kills nematodes, which are a type of roundworm.

Example

The nematocidal treatment effectively reduced the population of harmful roundworms in the soil.

Conversation

Have you heard about that new nematocidal treatment for gardens?

Yeah, I read it can really help with those pesky worms.

Exactly! It's supposed to be safe for other plants too.

That sounds great! I might give it a try this spring.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Nematocidal → It is formed from "nemato-" (from Greek "nema", meaning thread) and "-cidal" (from Latin "caedere", meaning to kill). The word refers to the act of killing thread-like organisms, specifically nematodes, which are a type of roundworm.

Memory Tip

Think of 'thread' ('nema') to remember that 'nematocidal' means killing thread-like organisms.

Visually Confused Words