nemat(o)-

Thread-like in shape.

Greek nēma, nēmat‑, thread.

Nematodes are species of worms that include the roundworms, threadworms, and eelworms, which belong to the zoological phylum Nematoda; a nematocide (also nematicide) is a substance used to kill nematode worms; nematology is the scientific study of them. A nematocyst is a specialized cell in the tentacles of a jellyfish or other coelenterate that projects the stinging threads. The adjective nematic refers to a state of a liquid crystal in which the molecules are oriented in parallel thread-like lines but not arranged in well-defined planes.