parasitize

American  

[par-uh-si-tahyz, -sahy-] / ˈpær ə sɪˌtaɪz, -saɪ- /

especially British, parasitise

verb (used with object)

parasitized, parasitizing

1. to live on (a host) as a parasite.

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parasitize British  

/ -saɪ-, ˈpærəsɪˌtaɪz /

verb

1. to infest or infect with parasites

2. to live on (another organism) as a parasite

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Other Word Forms

• unparasitized adjective

Etymology

Origin of parasitize

First recorded in 1885–90; parasite + -ize

Example Sentences

Until now, Brazil had only one documented case of mites that parasitize spiders, and that species belonged to a completely different family.

From Science Daily

The spiders they parasitize are only a few millimeters long.

From Science Daily

It could potentially parasitize other arthropods, including insects.

From Science Daily

"They parasitize the shells of bivalves like oysters, not the flesh of the animals themselves," said Nanglu.

From Science Daily

To understand orca parasites, she had been trying to study organisms that parasitize salmon, a favorite orca prey that might pass the parasites along to the whales.

From Science Magazine