parasite
an organism that lives on or in an organism of another species, known as the host, from the body of which it obtains nutriment.
a person who receives support, advantage, or the like, from another or others without giving any useful or proper return, as one who lives on the hospitality of others: They are greedy politicians, parasites with their snouts in the public trough.
(in ancient Greece) a person who received free meals in return for amusing or impudent conversation, flattering remarks, etc.
Origin of parasite
1Other words for parasite
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use parasite in a sentence
These guys are full parasites, taking sugar, water, and minerals from the tree.
The guardians of yesteryear had become parasites, Cannadine wrote.
The End of Us And Them: David Cannadine’s Quest to Unite History | Jimmy So | May 10, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTYes, branding roughly half the nation as lazy, entitled parasites is impolitic.
Lifelong asthmatic Moises Velasquez-Manoff infected himself with parasites to improve his health.
An Epidemic of Absence: Destroying the Bugs in Our Bodies Can Be Dangerous to Our Health | Moises Velasquez-Manoff | September 9, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTA group of anti-monarchy protestors gathered in Montreal to heckle the young royals, holding up signs reading “Royal Parasites.”
Nuclei, basophilic granules, and all blood parasites are blue; erythrocytes are red or pink; eosinophilic granules, bright red.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddMalarial parasites stain characteristically: the cytoplasm, sky-blue; the chromatin, reddish-purple.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddThree varieties are associated with malarial fever in man—the tertian, quartan, and estivo-autumnal malarial parasites.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddHere they enter red corpuscles as young malarial parasites, and the majority pass through the asexual cycle just described.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddWhile the parasites are more easily found in stained preparations, the varieties are more easily differentiated in fresh blood.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
British Dictionary definitions for parasite
/ (ˈpærəˌsaɪt) /
an animal or plant that lives in or on another (the host) from which it obtains nourishment. The host does not benefit from the association and is often harmed by it
a person who habitually lives at the expense of others; sponger
(formerly) a sycophant
Origin of parasite
1Derived forms of parasite
- parasitic (ˌpærəˈsɪtɪk) or parasitical, adjective
- parasitically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for parasite
[ păr′ə-sīt′ ]
An organism that lives on or in a different kind of organism (the host) from which it gets some or all of its nourishment. Parasites are harmful to their hosts, although the damage they do ranges widely from minor inconvenience to debilitating or fatal disease.♦ A parasite that lives or feeds on the outer surface of the host's body, such as a louse, tick, or leech, is called an ectoparasite. Ectoparasites do not usually cause disease themselves although they are frequently a vector of disease, as in the case of ticks, which can transmit the organisms that cause such diseases as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease.♦ A parasite that lives inside the body of its host is called an endoparasite. Endoparasites include organisms such as tapeworms, hookworms, and trypanosomes that live within the host's organs or tissues, as well as organisms such as sporozoans that invade the host's cells. See more at host.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for parasite
An organism that lives off or in another organism, obtaining nourishment and protection while offering no benefit in return. Human parasites are often harmful to the body and can cause diseases, such as trichinosis.
Notes for parasite
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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