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tae·ni·a also te·ni·a

(tēnē-ə)

n. pl. tae·ni·ae (-nē-ē′) or tae·ni·as also te·ni·ae or tae·ni·as

1. A narrow band or ribbon for the hair that was worn in ancient Greece.

2. Architecture A band in the Doric order that separates the frieze from the architrave.

3. Anatomy A ribbonlike band of tissue or muscle.

4. Any of various tapeworms of the genus Taenia, some of which infect humans.

[Latin, ribbon, tapeworm, from Greek tainiā; see ten- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

(click for a larger image)

taenia

c. 100 bc marble copy of the bronze Diadoumenos by Polyclitus (c. mid-5th century bc)

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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