filaria

n., pl., -i·ae (-ē-ē').
Any of various slender, threadlike nematode worms of the superfamily Filarioidea that are parasitic in vertebrates and are often transmitted as larvae by mosquitos and other biting insects. The adult form lives in the blood and lymphatic tissues, causing inflammation and obstruction that can lead to elephantiasis.

[New Latin Fīlāria, former genus name, from Latin fīlum, thread.]

filarial fi·lar'i·al (-ē-əl) or fi·lar'i·an (-ē-ən) adj.

(fə-lâr'ē-ə)
n., pl. -i·ae (-ē-ē').

Any of various threadlike nematode worms of the superfamily Filarioidea parasitic in vertebrates and often transmitted as larvae by biting insects. The adult form lives in the blood and lymphatic tissues, causing inflammation and obstruction that can lead to elephantiasis.

fi·lar'i·al (-ē-əl) or fi·lar'i·an (-ē-ən) adj.

Pl. filariae [L.] a nematode of the superfamily Filarioididea.

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The noun has 2 meanings:

Meaning #1: European weed naturalized in southwestern United States and Mexico having reddish decumbent stems with small fernlike leaves and small deep reddish-lavender flowers followed by slender fruits that stick straight up; often grown for forage
  Synonyms: redstem storksbill, alfilaria, alfileria, filaree, clocks, pin grass, pin clover, Erodium cicutarium

Meaning #2: slender threadlike roundworms living in the blood and tissues of vertebrates; transmitted as larvae by biting insects

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